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: content · bat · march · snap · ruler · rock · land · mug

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. land — to come down
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. land — a country
  5. content — happy
  6. march — music
  7. rock — music
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mug — to rob
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. march — the month
  15. mug — a face
  16. rock — a stone
  17. march — the month
  18. mug — a cup
  19. land — ground
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bat — in an idiom

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