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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. race — the arms race
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. race — humankind
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cap — a lid
  17. race — a contest
  18. clip — a video
  19. snap — to click
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitcher — a jug

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