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: club · cue · charge · straw · lean · mug · fall · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cue — a hint
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. charge — electricity
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mug — a cup
  9. charge — a price
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mug — to rob
  13. fall — the season
  14. club — a group
  15. mug — a face
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lean — to bend
  18. charge — in control
  19. club — for golf
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lean — thin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cue — for pool

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