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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. staff — employees
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. track — a song
  9. clip — a video
  10. craft — a skill
  11. track — to keep track
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. clip — to cut
  14. craft — boats
  15. sharp — clever
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. staff — a stick
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mine — for digging
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. track — a path
  23. lean — thin
  24. craft — a handicraft

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