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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. court — of law
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bass — low music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rush — hurry
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wake — a trail
  17. court — of a king
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wound — an injury
  20. snap — to click
  21. court — for sport
  22. roll — a list
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wound — an injury

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