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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. clip — a video
  4. pit — in a race
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. snap — to click
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. clip — to cut
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. shower — rain
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. season — of the year
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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