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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. field — for sport
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. field — farmland
  6. bore — to tire
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wind — moving air
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. lean — thin
  17. bore — to drill
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — help
  22. snap — to click
  23. field — a subject
  24. lean — to rest against

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