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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. present — a gift
  3. drill — a practice
  4. present — the time now
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pass — a permit
  7. court — of a king
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. land — ground
  10. hand — in cards
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. court — for sport
  13. present — there
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. land — a country
  17. lean — thin
  18. court — of law
  19. land — to come down
  20. kick — in football
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. lean — to bend
  24. hand — help

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