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: lean · cap · deal · wave · chest · hand · rest · key

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lean — to bend
  4. hand — help
  5. deal — to handle
  6. key — in music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. key — the most important part
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. lean — thin
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rest — what's left
  17. key — for a lock
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chest — a box
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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