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: pit · bear · branch · cold · vault · calf · snap · mine

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pit — a hole
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. vault — a safe
  21. branch — a division
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mine — an explosive

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