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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. net — after costs
  4. mine — for digging
  5. net — in sport
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. prune — to trim
  8. field — farmland
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. field — for sport
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. season — in sport
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. prune — to trim
  18. clip — to cut
  19. season — of the year
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. field — a subject
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. net — for catching
  24. clip — for paper

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