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 do you ________________ your surname?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fall — the season
  3. season — of the year
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bound — tied together
  8. last — finally
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lie — to recline
  11. season — in sport
  12. clip — for paper
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — a video
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. spell — a short time
  17. last — to go on
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bound — obliged
  20. clip — to cut
  21. last — final
  22. bound — certain
  23. spell — magic
  24. mine — for digging

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