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 · capital · vault · net · pitcher · lean · plane · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — a trail
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. lean — to bend
  14. net — for catching
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. vault — a safe
  19. capital — a city
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. plane — a tool

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