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

Word bank: spell · land · lie · march · swing · lean · game · band

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. game — a match
  3. band — a ring
  4. spell — magic
  5. land — to come down
  6. march — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lean — thin
  12. game — wild animals
  13. swing — to play on
  14. land — ground
  15. swing — music
  16. band — a music group
  17. spell — a short time
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. march — the month
  20. spell — letters
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. march — the month
  24. land — a country

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