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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. tear — from crying
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. tear — from crying
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. tear — to rip
  13. swing — to play on
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cue — a hint
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cue — a signal
  21. swing — music
  22. dip — to sink
  23. net — for catching
  24. nail — for a hammer

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