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 120 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: stick · hide · snap · dip · ground · clip · game · rash

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. game — a match
  4. ground — a position
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ground — crushed
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. snap — to click
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. game — wild animals
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. ground — the earth

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