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: pop · band · kick · leaves · cold · net · shower · wake

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. band — a music group
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. net — in sport
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pop — music
  10. kick — in football
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. shower — rain
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cold — an illness
  16. band — a ring
  17. wake — a trail
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cold — not warm
  21. net — after costs
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. net — for catching
  24. cold — the Cold War

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