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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cold — not warm
  6. degree — an amount
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pop — music
  12. lean — thin
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pop — soda
  18. degree — from a university
  19. saw — the tool
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bowl — a dish

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