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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. lean — thin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. swing — music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — finally
  7. court — for sport
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lean — to bend
  10. clip — a video
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. face — part of the head
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. swing — in golf
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. face — to confront
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. face — to point toward
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rash — hasty
  24. clip — to cut

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