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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. net — in sport
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bank — for money
  6. plane — a tool
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. hand — in cards
  12. net — after costs
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. net — for catching
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. shower — rain

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