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 120 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: pitcher · degree · leaves · bat · bark · snap · sharp · fork

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. degree — temperature
  9. sharp — clever
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bark — to shout
  17. degree — from a university
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fork — in a road
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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