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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. land — ground
  3. wind — moving air
  4. object — an aim
  5. bound — certain
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. object — to protest
  8. stock — shares
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stock — goods
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. object — a thing
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lean — thin
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wax — to grow
  19. land — a country
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pit — a hole
  23. land — to come down
  24. pit — in a race

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