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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. object — a thing
  3. fall — the season
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fall — to drop
  10. clip — a video
  11. bound — tied together
  12. present — the time now
  13. bound — certain
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bound — obliged
  17. object — an aim
  18. present — a gift
  19. clip — to cut
  20. object — to protest
  21. rock — a stone
  22. swing — music
  23. clip — for paper
  24. swing — in golf

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