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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. lean — to bend
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spell — magic
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — a box
  11. roll — a list
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lean — thin
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. spell — letters
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rest — a break
  21. vault — a safe
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. spell — a short time

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