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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — a series
  3. clip — for paper
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. track — a path
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. clip — a video
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rest — a break
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — goods
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stock — shares
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. track — a song
  24. bat — in an idiom

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