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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. game — a match
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mate — to breed
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. content — happy
  10. game — wild animals
  11. board — to get on
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mate — a partner
  20. snap — to click
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. wind — moving air
  24. board — a committee

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