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: straw · sharp · pound · march · ball · tear · suit · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. tear — to rip
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. suit — to fit
  6. march — music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — a weight
  10. suit — clothes
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. ball — a dance
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. suit — in cards
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. snap — to click
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. march — the month

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