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: bat · kick · cabinet · rush · tube · rule · ground · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. tube — a container
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bat — the animal
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rule — government
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tube — the underground
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. rule — a law
  17. ground — the earth
  18. kick — in football
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. lean — thin
  23. ground — a position
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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