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: spell · pound · kick · chest · lean · coach · bore · vault

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. kick — in football
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bore — to tire
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bore — to drill
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. lean — thin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pound — a weight
  21. chest — a box
  22. spell — magic
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. kick — with a leg

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