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: bay · bat · bowl · present · wind · capital · lean · pit

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. present — there
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. capital — money
  11. lean — thin
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. capital — a city
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pit — in a race
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wind — moving air
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bat — the animal

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