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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. capital — a city
  7. clip — for paper
  8. season — in sport
  9. capital — money
  10. wind — moving air
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lie — to recline
  17. season — of the year
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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