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 120 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 · last · clip · swing · snap · coach · cabinet · staff

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to click
  12. swing — in golf
  13. clip — for paper
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. clip — a video
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. clip — to cut
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. lean — thin
  24. swing — music

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