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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. game — a match
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. game — wild animals
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. lean — to bend
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lean — thin
  14. season — of the year
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. season — in sport
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. plane — an aircraft

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