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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. season — in sport
  5. clip — for paper
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. season — of the year
  11. rest — what's left
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mate — a partner
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fine — all right
  16. mate — to breed
  17. snap — to click
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. clip — a video
  22. rush — hurry
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. sharp — with an edge

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