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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. kick — in football
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. snap — to click
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pop — music
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. kick — with a leg

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