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 · fan · rash · snap · clip · bark · chair · season

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wake — a trail
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. rash — hasty
  7. season — in sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — a video
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chair — to sit on

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