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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. net — for catching
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cold — an illness
  17. drill — army training
  18. snap — to click
  19. net — in sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. net — after costs
  24. court — for sport

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