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: squash · snap · degree · track · last · mouse · fork · bat

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. snap — to click
  5. track — a path
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. squash — to crush
  9. degree — from a university
  10. last — finally
  11. degree — an amount
  12. track — to keep track
  13. last — to go on
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. last — final
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. track — a song
  24. mouse — the animal

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