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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. kid — child
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. snap — to click
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mark — a trace
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. sharp — clever
  21. row — a line
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wound — an injury

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