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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. suit — clothes
  3. rule — government
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. face — part of the head
  7. clip — for paper
  8. degree — temperature
  9. present — a gift
  10. cap — a hat
  11. face — to confront
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rule — a law
  14. suit — in cards
  15. clip — a video
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. suit — to fit
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cap — a lid
  21. present — the time now
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. season — of the year

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