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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. clip — a video
  10. mug — a face
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fan — a supporter

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