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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cold — not warm
  4. capital — a city
  5. cold — an illness
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. capital — money
  8. squash — the sport
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. march — music
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. lean — to bend
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. march — the month
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. march — the month
  23. wake — a trail
  24. trunk — of a tree

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