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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fall — the season
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wound — an injury
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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