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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. capital — a city
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. clip — a video
  10. lean — to bend
  11. drill — army training
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. clip — for paper
  14. drill — a practice
  15. capital — money
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bear — the animal

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