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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. face — to confront
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. face — part of the head
  5. lean — thin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rash — a series
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. field — farmland
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. face — to point toward
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. object — a thing
  15. chest — a box
  16. field — a subject
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. field — for sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. lean — to bend

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