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: cap · lean · leaves · game · chest · wake · date · coach

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. chest — a box
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lean — thin
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wake — a trail
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. game — a match
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cap — of ice

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