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 124 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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — in football
  6. lean — thin
  7. court — of law
  8. toast — bread
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. march — music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. court — for sport
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lie — to recline
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. court — of a king
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. lean — to bend
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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