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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. craft — boats
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mark — a trace
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wind — moving air
  13. sharp — clever
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. snap — to click
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mine — for digging
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chair — a professorship

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