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 116 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 stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — thin
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. band — a ring
  6. fall — the season
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lean — to bend
  21. band — a music group
  22. spell — magic
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bound — tied together

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