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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. present — a gift
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ball — a dance
  13. field — a subject
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. present — the time now
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. present — there
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. dip — to sink
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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