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: rash · leaves · capital · rush · wake · bat · row · bark

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rash — a series
  5. row — a line
  6. rash — hasty
  7. capital — a city
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. capital — money
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wake — a trail
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rush — hurry

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