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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. lean — to bend
  7. clip — to cut
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cap — of ice
  10. file — a tool
  11. ball — a great time
  12. current — electric
  13. lean — thin
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cap — a lid
  19. file — a line of people
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pitch — completely
  22. current — of water
  23. file — a document
  24. current — happening now

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