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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mark — a trace
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. spell — letters
  12. clip — a video
  13. stem — to come from
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. spell — a short time
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. scale — in music
  23. mark — a grade
  24. clip — to cut

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