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: kid · fan · pitch · cap · face · branch · shower · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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. snap — to click
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cap — a lid
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. face — to point toward
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. branch — a division
  22. shower — rain
  23. kid — child
  24. cap — of ice

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