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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. snap — to click
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. shower — to wash
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rock — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rest — what's left
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rock — a stone

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