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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. season — in sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. club — for golf
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. row — a line
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. club — a group
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. club — for dancing
  12. clip — to cut
  13. sharp — clever
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. clip — for paper
  17. season — of the year
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. clip — a video
  20. fine — high quality
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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