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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. snap — to click
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — clever
  7. clip — a video
  8. fall — the season
  9. file — a line of people
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. staff — a stick
  13. file — a tool
  14. pop — to visit
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. file — a document
  19. pop — music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pop — soda
  23. clip — to cut
  24. hide — to keep secret

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