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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. squash — the sport
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. drill — the tool
  6. clip — to cut
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. net — for catching
  10. snap — to click
  11. mate — to breed
  12. roll — a cake
  13. mug — a face
  14. clip — a video
  15. roll — a list
  16. drill — army training
  17. net — after costs
  18. mug — a cup
  19. squash — to crush
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mug — to rob
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. clip — for paper
  24. net — in sport

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