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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. tear — from crying
  3. land — a country
  4. charge — electricity
  5. date — the fruit
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — to come down
  10. charge — in control
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. land — ground
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. tear — from crying
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. race — a contest
  23. tear — to rip
  24. charge — a price

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