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: lie · mate · wound · file · game · pop · snap · spring

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. spring — the season
  5. file — a document
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spring — of water
  10. game — wild animals
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mate — to breed
  16. game — a match
  17. wound — an injury
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a tool
  21. pop — music
  22. snap — to click
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lie — an untruth

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