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: leaves · net · snap · rush · hand · pit · capital · tear

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. net — after costs
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. capital — money
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to click
  13. net — for catching
  14. tear — to rip
  15. net — in sport
  16. hand — help
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rush — hurry
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. capital — a city
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. tear — from crying

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