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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · field · lie · board · row · scale · cold · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. row — a line
  7. board — to get on
  8. row — to paddle
  9. field — a subject
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cold — an illness
  12. field — for sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. field — farmland
  16. lie — to recline
  17. board — a committee
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lean — thin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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