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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. object — an aim
  3. snap — to click
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. club — a group
  13. land — a country
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. club — for golf
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. object — a thing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. object — to protest

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