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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. staff — a stick
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spell — letters
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lean — to bend
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. season — of the year
  13. staff — employees
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. snap — to click
  17. mine — for digging
  18. staff — employees
  19. spell — magic
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. spell — a short time
  24. season — in sport

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