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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. file — a line of people
  4. hand — in cards
  5. swing — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. board — to get on
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. swing — to play on
  10. file — a document
  11. hand — help
  12. rest — a break
  13. lean — to bend
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. file — a tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chair — a leader
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rest — what's left
  23. board — a committee
  24. hand — part of the body

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