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: net · snap · bark · pit · deal · kid · spell · current

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. current — electric
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. deal — to handle
  6. current — of water
  7. spell — magic
  8. current — happening now
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. spell — letters
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. net — for catching
  14. snap — to click
  15. net — after costs
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. net — in sport
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pit — in a race
  22. kid — child
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pit — a hole

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