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 120 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: snap · track · last · wake · pitcher · shower · sharp · bulb

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bulb — for light
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bulb — for light
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. shower — to wash
  8. last — final
  9. track — a path
  10. snap — to click
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. track — a song
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. shower — rain
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. track — to keep track
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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