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 116 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: fall · snap · court · wake · hand · fork · plane · march

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. court — of law
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. march — the month
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. snap — to click
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. fall — to drop
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. court — for sport
  15. wake — a trail
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fall — the season
  19. court — of a king
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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