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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. foot — a measure
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hand — in cards
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. hand — help
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. lean — thin
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. content — happy
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rest — a break
  24. lean — to bend

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