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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. row — a line
  3. capital — money
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. suit — in cards
  6. fall — to drop
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. scale — in music
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. prune — to trim
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fall — to drop
  15. object — a thing
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. capital — a city
  19. prune — to trim
  20. object — to protest
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. object — an aim
  23. fall — the season
  24. suit — clothes

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