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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bulb — for light
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. suit — to fit
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — to shout
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wound — an injury
  15. swing — music
  16. pit — a hole
  17. suit — in cards
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. object — a thing
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. snap — to click
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bulb — for light
  24. object — an aim

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