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: spring · firm · lean · plane · bat · snap · saw · dip

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. lean — to bend
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. spring — the season
  5. plane — a tool
  6. firm — decided
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. firm — steady
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. snap — to click
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. firm — a company
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lean — thin
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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