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 116 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. suit — to fit
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. stand — to bear
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pound — a weight
  8. suit — clothes
  9. lean — to bend
  10. clip — a video
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. band — a ring
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lean — thin
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. squash — to crush
  19. band — a music group
  20. suit — in cards
  21. clip — to cut
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cell — in biology

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