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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. suit — clothes
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. clip — a video
  9. hand — help
  10. clip — to cut
  11. season — of the year
  12. suit — to fit
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — a committee
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. board — to get on
  18. track — a song
  19. hand — in cards
  20. suit — in cards
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wind — moving air

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