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: kick · last · snap · branch · row · land · wind · kid

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. last — to go on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. kick — in football
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. kid — to tease
  11. last — finally
  12. land — ground
  13. last — final
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. land — to come down
  18. snap — to click
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wind — moving air
  21. row — a line
  22. wind — moving air
  23. land — a country
  24. branch — a division

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