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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spell — magic
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cue — for pool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. march — the month
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cap — a lid
  18. clip — a video
  19. march — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — letters
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cap — a hat

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