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

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. land — ground
  3. fine — high quality
  4. charge — in control
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. clip — to cut
  7. charge — a price
  8. game — wild animals
  9. land — to come down
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. land — a country
  13. clip — for paper
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fine — all right
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rock — music
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. clip — a video
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rock — to move gently

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