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: snap · plane · cold · rule · season · squash · arm · wound

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. snap — to click
  6. squash — to crush
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rule — government
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wound — an injury
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. season — in sport
  22. cold — not warm
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rule — a law

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