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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cell — in biology
  3. board — a committee
  4. lean — thin
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. capital — a city
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. dip — to sink
  10. capital — money
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cell — a phone
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. face — to confront
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. face — part of the head
  19. board — to get on
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — to point toward
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lean — to rest against

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