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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lean — thin
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. capital — a city
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. press — to push
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bear — the animal
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. capital — money
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bat — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rock — a stone
  23. lean — to bend
  24. press — newspapers

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