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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. mug — a face
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. roll — a list
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mug — a cup
  11. clip — a video
  12. file — a document
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. clip — for paper
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. file — a tool
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. roll — on a roll

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