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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. snap — to click
  3. chest — a box
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. chest — of your body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stand — to bear
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wind — moving air
  15. perch — the fish
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ball — a great time
  18. chest — of your body
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ball — a dance
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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