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: game · mouse · row · bore · roll · snap · hide · rash

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. roll — a cake
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bore — to tire
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bore — to drill
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. roll — a list
  18. game — a match
  19. row — a line
  20. rash — hasty
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. bore — gave birth

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