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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mug — a face
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. content — happy
  9. file — a line of people
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mug — a cup
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. content — the amount
  15. snap — to click
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mug — to rob
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. game — a match
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mark — a trace
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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