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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. last — finally
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chest — a box
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. scale — size or range
  11. season — of the year
  12. last — to go on
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lean — thin
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lean — to bend
  19. chest — of your body
  20. last — final
  21. snap — to click
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. season — in sport

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