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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rest — a break
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. field — a subject
  9. clip — to cut
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitch — completely
  13. club — a group
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. field — farmland
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rest — what's left
  22. field — for sport
  23. clip — a video
  24. rush — to hurry

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