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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stock — shares
  4. snap — to click
  5. bound — certain
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stock — goods
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. toast — bread
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bound — obliged
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lean — to bend
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bound — tied together
  23. lean — thin
  24. date — the fruit

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