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 116 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: squash · snap · bore · net · fall · hand · march · pitcher

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fall — the season
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fall — to drop
  9. snap — to click
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. march — the month
  15. squash — to crush
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. hand — help
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bore — to drill
  24. fall — to drop

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