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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. board — to get on
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rest — what's left
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. game — wild animals
  11. face — to confront
  12. rest — a break
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. game — a match
  15. board — a committee
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. band — a music group
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fine — high quality
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. clip — a video
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fine — all right

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