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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — temperature
  9. tear — from crying
  10. band — a music group
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — a price
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. band — a ring
  24. degree — from a university

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