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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. file — a line of people
  5. clip — for paper
  6. file — a tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. clip — a video
  15. file — a document
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. season — in sport
  21. clip — to cut
  22. season — of the year
  23. branch — a division
  24. wound — an injury

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