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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. capital — a city
  4. stand — to bear
  5. lean — to bend
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. last — finally
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. last — to go on
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. field — farmland
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wake — a trail
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lean — thin
  22. last — final
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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