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 120 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lie — to recline
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spring — a coil
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. suit — to fit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. clip — a video
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wax — to grow
  16. suit — clothes
  17. swing — music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spring — of water
  24. coach — a trainer

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