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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lean — to bend
  3. field — farmland
  4. game — a match
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. field — for sport
  8. game — wild animals
  9. field — a subject
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wake — a trail
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. prune — to trim
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. snap — to click
  21. pit — in a race
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pit — a hole

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