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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stem — to come from
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. snap — to click
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. row — a line

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