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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bound — certain
  5. lean — to bend
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. bound — obliged
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chest — of your body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bear — the animal
  14. board — to get on
  15. lean — thin
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. toast — bread
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. chest — a box

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