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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. kid — child
  3. suit — in cards
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. swing — to play on
  8. lean — thin
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — a leader
  13. hand — help
  14. swing — in golf
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kid — to tease
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. suit — clothes
  19. swing — music
  20. lean — to bend
  21. suit — to fit
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lean — to rest against

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