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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wound — an injury
  4. charge — a price
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — the season
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spring — of water
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lean — thin
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wound — an injury
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. spell — letters
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spell — magic
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. charge — in control

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