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: land · jam · hide · wake · snap · date · stand · root

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. land — a country
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. land — ground
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. land — to come down
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. root — of a plant
  13. stand — to bear
  14. snap — to click
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. date — the fruit

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