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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. current — electric
  3. key — for a lock
  4. press — a publisher
  5. key — the most important part
  6. field — a subject
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. press — to push
  9. current — of water
  10. lean — thin
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. press — newspapers
  13. current — happening now
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rock — a stone
  17. field — farmland
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mine — for digging
  23. key — in music
  24. field — for 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