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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. land — to come down
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. row — a line
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cue — for pool
  8. land — ground
  9. cue — a hint
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. tube — a container
  13. lean — thin
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — a country
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cue — a signal
  21. key — in music
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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