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: pit · lash · leaves · bass · court · file · fall · wake

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. court — of law
  3. fall — to drop
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fall — the season
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. court — for sport
  16. wake — a trail
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. court — of a king
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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