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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. drill — army training
  3. season — in sport
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. clip — a video
  6. drill — the tool
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. firm — decided
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. roll — a cake
  12. clip — to cut
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. firm — steady
  17. season — of the year
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — the animal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. firm — a company
  22. roll — a list
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bat — in an idiom

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