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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. kick — in football
  4. row — a line
  5. charge — in control
  6. snap — to click
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. charge — a price
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. spell — magic
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. charge — electricity
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. row — to paddle
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bark — to shout

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