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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. clip — to cut
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. clip — for paper
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. last — finally
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. last — final
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. field — farmland
  15. last — to go on
  16. rash — a series
  17. field — for sport
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. field — a subject

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