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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. ground — a position
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. ground — the earth
  18. capital — money
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. capital — a city
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wake — before a funeral

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