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 120 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: snap · lash · sharp · band · spring · tube · hand · swing

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. spring — the season
  6. swing — to play on
  7. hand — in cards
  8. tube — a container
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. snap — to click
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. swing — music
  16. hand — help
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spring — a coil
  19. band — a ring
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tube — the underground
  22. spring — of water
  23. swing — in golf
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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