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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. row — a line
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. net — for catching
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. scale — in music
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. net — in sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. net — after costs
  16. scale — size or range
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. lean — to bend
  20. capital — a city
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. capital — money
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wind — to turn a key

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