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: pitch · snap · lean · foot · date · kid · charge · hand

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lean — thin
  3. hand — help
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. foot — a measure
  8. lean — to bend
  9. hand — in cards
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. charge — in control
  13. snap — to click
  14. charge — electricity
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. kid — child
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. charge — a price
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pitch — completely

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