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 · bulb · court · lean · wind · snap · rock · mate

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rock — a stone
  5. snap — to click
  6. court — of a king
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lean — thin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. court — of law
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mate — to breed
  19. court — for sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wake — before a funeral

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