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: season · wind · squash · face · bark · wave · snap · roll

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. roll — a list
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. face — to confront
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wind — moving air
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. season — in sport
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. season — of the year
  18. squash — to crush
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. face — part of the head

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