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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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. bulb — for light
  3. snap — to click
  4. stand — to bear
  5. game — wild animals
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lie — to recline
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. capital — a city
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. game — a match
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. squash — to crush
  20. capital — money
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. squash — the sport
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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