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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. spell — magic
  10. wind — moving air
  11. band — a music group
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fine — all right

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