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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. object — an aim
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lean — to bend
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rock — a stone
  13. plane — a tool
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. game — wild animals
  17. object — a thing
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — thin
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rock — music
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wind — moving air
  24. plane — in geometry

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