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: stick · mine · snap · last · bat · leaves · jam · spring

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to click
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spring — of water
  7. last — final
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spring — the season
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. last — finally
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. spring — a coil

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