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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cue — a signal
  4. last — to go on
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cue — a hint
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cold — an illness
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. chair — a leader
  15. last — finally
  16. cold — not warm
  17. last — final
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. lean — thin
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — before a funeral

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