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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pound — a weight
  3. suit — to fit
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bat — the animal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pit — in a race
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. clip — a video
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. suit — in cards
  20. snap — to click
  21. suit — clothes
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. game — a match
  24. sharp — clever

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