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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. current — happening now
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. last — to go on
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — final
  11. field — for sport
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — finally
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wake — a trail
  18. snap — to click
  19. field — a subject
  20. current — of water
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. field — farmland
  24. current — electric

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