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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. content — the amount
  4. lean — thin
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. net — in sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. net — after costs
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. content — happy
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bear — the animal
  22. net — for catching
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bark — of a tree

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