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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fall — the season
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. present — there
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cell — a phone
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — in biology
  15. root — the cause
  16. present — the time now
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fall — to drop
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — to grow
  24. present — a gift

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