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 · march · kick · snap · bulb · court · bark · bass

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. kick — in football
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pop — to visit
  7. snap — to click
  8. pop — soda
  9. bulb — for light
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. march — the month
  13. bulb — for light
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. march — music
  16. bass — low music
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pop — music
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. court — for sport
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. court — of a king

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