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 120 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. field — for sport
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rush — hurry
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — a subject
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. field — farmland
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wind — to turn a key

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