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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · clip · capital · bay · saw · snap · bore · wake

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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. bore — gave birth
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. saw — the tool
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. snap — to click
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bulb — for light
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wake — a trail
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. clip — a video

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