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: rash · date · fall · stick · bat · race · lean · snap

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. snap — to click
  3. race — the arms race
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — the season
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rash — a series
  14. race — a contest
  15. lean — thin
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fall — to drop
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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