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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — in sport
  3. lean — thin
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rest — a break
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rest — what's left
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bass — low music
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. season — of the year

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