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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rest — a break
  3. cue — a signal
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fork — in a road
  6. kid — child
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rule — a law
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kid — to tease
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rule — government
  24. wax — for sculpting

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