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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wound — an injury
  4. season — of the year
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. season — in sport
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lean — thin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. suit — to fit
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cap — a hat
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bat — the animal
  15. suit — clothes
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wound — an injury
  18. suit — in cards
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bat — for baseball

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