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: ruler · lean · clip · jam · march · firm · chest · cold

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. lean — thin
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. clip — a video
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. march — the month
  10. cold — not warm
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. firm — a company
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. clip — to cut
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. firm — steady
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cold — an illness
  22. march — music
  23. clip — for paper
  24. firm — decided

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