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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. face — to confront
  5. charge — a price
  6. lie — to recline
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. tube — a container
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. dip — to sink
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fall — the season
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — electricity
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. charge — in control
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. tube — the underground
  24. face — part of the head

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