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: deal · bat · cap · pit · wax · leaves · snap · season

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pit — a hole
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bat — the animal
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wax — to grow

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