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

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cell — a phone
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. band — a ring
  11. snap — to click
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. race — a contest
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. pop — music
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. band — a music group
  21. race — humankind
  22. pop — to visit
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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