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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. clip — for paper
  3. current — of water
  4. field — a subject
  5. rush — hurry
  6. current — electric
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tear — to rip
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. tear — from crying
  12. field — farmland
  13. fine — high quality
  14. season — of the year
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. clip — to cut
  17. field — for sport
  18. season — in sport
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fine — all right
  21. clip — a video
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. current — happening now

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