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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. track — a song
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. net — after costs
  11. degree — temperature
  12. track — a path
  13. net — for catching
  14. track — to keep track
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. content — happy
  18. net — in sport
  19. content — the amount
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rock — music
  22. degree — from a university
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. degree — an amount

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