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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. saw — the tool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. swing — music
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. race — humankind
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. saw — the tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rest — a break
  14. swing — in golf
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. race — a contest
  17. object — an aim
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rest — what's left
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. race — the arms race
  22. swing — to play on
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rest — what's left

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