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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. scale — in music
  7. charge — a price
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. shower — rain
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. charge — electricity
  14. shower — to wash
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. charge — in control
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pass — a permit
  20. hand — help
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. hand — in cards
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bulb — for light

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