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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. swing — to play on
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. kick — in football
  9. spell — letters
  10. object — an aim
  11. lean — thin
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. swing — in golf
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. lean — to bend
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cold — not warm
  19. spell — magic
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cold — an illness
  23. swing — music
  24. safe — out of danger

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