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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. season — in sport
  3. craft — boats
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — the tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. craft — a skill
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. staff — a stick
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. clip — a video
  16. band — a music group
  17. pitch — completely
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. band — a ring

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