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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · cue · wind · tube · straw · snap · kick · lean

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. cue — for pool
  2. ball — a dance
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. snap — to click
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cue — a signal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. kick — in football
  15. cue — a hint
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. ball — a great time
  23. straw — dry grass
  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