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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bear — the animal
  4. swing — music
  5. file — a document
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mark — a grade
  8. file — a tool
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mark — a trace
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hand — help
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mine — an explosive

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