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: wake · snap · bass · shower · saw · charge · court · suit

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. suit — clothes
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. court — of a king
  5. charge — a price
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. bass — low music
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. charge — electricity
  12. shower — rain
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. suit — to fit
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wake — a trail
  17. court — of law
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. suit — in cards
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. charge — in control
  24. shower — to wash

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