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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. capital — money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wind — moving air
  9. key — for a lock
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. branch — a division
  13. lean — to bend
  14. plane — a tool
  15. capital — a city
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wound — an injury
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lean — thin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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