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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. clip — a video
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bat — the animal
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fine — high quality
  14. suit — in cards
  15. chest — a box
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fine — all right
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. clip — to cut
  21. branch — a division
  22. chest — of your body
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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