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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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. racket — a loud noise
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. tube — a container
  11. court — for sport
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. snap — to click
  21. court — of law
  22. band — a ring
  23. court — of a king
  24. mine — for digging

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