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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kick — in football
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. degree — from a university
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. degree — temperature
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. lean — thin
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wake — a trail
  24. game — a match

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