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 116 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: firm · field · game · branch · kid · spell · rest · lean

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. lean — thin
  3. game — a match
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. rest — what's left
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — steady
  10. rest — what's left
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spell — letters
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rest — a break
  15. field — for sport
  16. firm — decided
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. kid — child
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lean — to bend

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