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 · chest · suit · pit · trunk · snap · tube · sharp

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. tube — a container
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. suit — to fit
  5. chest — a box
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tube — the underground
  16. chest — of your body
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wake — a trail
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pit — in a race
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chest — of your body

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