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: stand · plane · kick · lean · swing · court · cabinet · tear

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. court — for sport
  4. stand — to bear
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. court — of law
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. plane — a tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. court — of a king
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. lean — thin
  24. kick — in football

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