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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. field — a subject
  7. clip — for paper
  8. field — farmland
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. capital — money
  15. field — for sport
  16. stock — shares
  17. season — of the year
  18. lie — to recline
  19. clip — to cut
  20. capital — a city
  21. clip — a video
  22. stock — goods
  23. mate — to breed
  24. capital — a big letter

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