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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cold — an illness
  5. foot — a measure
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. staff — employees
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lie — to recline
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. swing — to play on
  13. row — a line
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. staff — employees
  16. swing — music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. row — to paddle
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. staff — a stick

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