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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kid — child
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chest — a box
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. lean — thin
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cell — in biology

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