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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. lean — thin
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rule — government
  6. ground — the earth
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. key — in music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — a position
  17. rule — a law
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. lean — to rest against

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