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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. clip — to cut
  9. race — a contest
  10. mark — a grade
  11. court — of law
  12. race — humankind
  13. wound — an injury
  14. clip — for paper
  15. race — the arms race
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a trace
  23. clip — a video
  24. mine — belonging to me

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