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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. season — of the year
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. spell — letters
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. kick — in football
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spell — magic
  15. stock — goods
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. squash — to crush
  19. spell — a short time
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. season — in sport

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