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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hand — help
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. lean — to bend
  5. spell — a short time
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pass — a permit
  10. lean — thin
  11. land — a country
  12. spell — letters
  13. band — a ring
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wind — moving air
  22. foot — a measure
  23. band — a music group
  24. spell — magic

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