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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. ball — a great time
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ground — the earth
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ground — crushed
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. file — a document
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. deal — to handle
  22. file — a tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rock — a stone

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