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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mark — a grade
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. degree — an amount
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. degree — from a university
  10. clip — for paper
  11. degree — temperature
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — for catching
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — to go away

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