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: clip · leaves · fall · bass · jam · net · game · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. fall — to drop
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. game — a match
  6. fall — to drop
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fall — the season
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. lean — thin
  11. game — wild animals
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. clip — a video
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. net — in sport
  16. bass — low music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. net — for catching
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. net — after costs
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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