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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. pop — music
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. object — an aim
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. object — a thing
  13. pop — soda
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cold — an illness
  16. craft — boats
  17. object — to protest
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. track — a path
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pop — to visit

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