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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. band — a music group
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. content — happy
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. content — the amount
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pound — for dogs

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