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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rash — a series
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fall — to drop
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pitch — completely
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rash — hasty

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