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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. file — a document
  7. lean — thin
  8. chair — a leader
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. lean — to bend
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cap — of ice
  14. field — for sport
  15. file — a tool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. key — in music
  18. field — a subject
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cap — a lid
  23. field — farmland
  24. wake — before a funeral

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