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: stick · snap · tear · spell · game · mine · pitcher · pound

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. spell — letters
  9. pound — a weight
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. tear — from crying
  18. game — a match
  19. mine — for digging
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. snap — to click
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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