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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cap — of ice
  4. squash — the sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. lean — thin
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cap — a lid
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — to crush
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. can — to be able to
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. perch — the fish
  19. can — a tin
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wake — a trail

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