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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. clip — a video
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bound — certain
  9. season — of the year
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bound — tied together
  15. file — a document
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lean — thin
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. file — a line of people
  22. season — in sport
  23. lean — to bend
  24. clip — for paper

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