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: cell · spell · snap · file · sharp · bore · capital · net

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bore — to drill
  3. snap — to click
  4. spell — magic
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. net — in sport
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cell — a phone
  11. net — for catching
  12. file — a tool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cell — in biology
  17. capital — a city
  18. spell — letters
  19. bore — to tire
  20. net — after costs
  21. capital — money
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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