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: tear · court · mug · rush · sharp · cell · snap · land

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mug — a cup
  3. land — a country
  4. court — for sport
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rush — hurry
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. land — ground
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. court — of a king
  14. tear — to rip
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mug — to rob
  18. land — to come down
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mug — a face
  22. court — of law
  23. snap — to click
  24. tear — from crying

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