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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. ground — the earth
  8. face — to confront
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. row — to paddle
  12. clip — a video
  13. bat — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. ground — a position
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ground — crushed

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