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: racket · shower · snap · ball · pop · wind · rule · clip

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. clip — a video
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ball — a great time
  9. snap — to click
  10. rule — a law
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rule — government
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. shower — rain
  19. pop — music
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wind — moving air
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pop — soda

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