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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. object — to protest
  4. snap — to click
  5. object — a thing
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. object — an aim
  9. bound — certain
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. clip — a video
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. clip — to cut
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bound — tied together
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cap — a lid
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bound — obliged

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