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 116 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. present — the time now
  5. last — finally
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. craft — boats
  12. present — there
  13. last — final
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. lean — thin
  18. clip — to cut
  19. last — to go on
  20. present — a gift
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. clip — a video
  24. craft — a skill

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