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 · track · spell · mine · cold · toast · can · current

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. toast — bread
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lean — to bend
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. can — a tin
  9. current — electric
  10. track — a song
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lean — thin
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mine — for digging
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. spell — magic
  20. cold — not warm
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. can — a tin
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. track — a path

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