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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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 — in sport
  2. can — to be able to
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bass — the fish
  6. face — part of the head
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. clip — a video
  9. bass — low music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wind — moving air
  12. clip — to cut
  13. season — of the year
  14. hand — help
  15. face — to confront
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. face — to point toward
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bass — the instrument
  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