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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rule — government
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. snap — to click
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mug — a face
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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