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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. land — ground
  3. spell — magic
  4. land — a country
  5. tube — a container
  6. ground — a position
  7. land — to come down
  8. stand — to bear
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spell — a short time
  16. chair — a leader
  17. lean — thin
  18. cell — in biology
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cell — in a prison

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