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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. snap — to click
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — the fish
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bass — low music
  7. branch — a division
  8. game — wild animals
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. court — of law
  12. game — a match
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. court — for sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — of a king
  21. lie — to recline
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. leaves — lets stay

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