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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. club — for golf
  3. perch — the fish
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — magic
  6. bound — certain
  7. club — for dancing
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bound — obliged
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bound — tied together
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. spell — letters
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spell — a short time
  17. squash — the sport
  18. club — a group
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — for a bird

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