ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. face — part of the head
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. snap — to click
  6. clip — to cut
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pound — a weight
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rash — a series
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. face — to point toward
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. chip — for betting
  20. face — to confront
  21. clip — a video
  22. chip — to eat
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com