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: bay · snap · hide · game · degree · bear · wind · date

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bear — the animal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. degree — from a university
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. degree — an amount
  14. date — the fruit
  15. snap — to click
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wind — to turn a key

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