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: pitcher · snap · bowl · rash · stick · fall · chest · rock

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. rash — a series
  4. rock — a stone
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rock — music
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fall — to drop
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chest — of your body
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fall — the season

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