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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fine — high quality
  3. season — of the year
  4. swing — to play on
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. season — in sport
  13. clip — for paper
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. swing — in golf
  16. clip — a video
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. track — a path
  20. fine — all right
  21. track — to keep track
  22. swing — music
  23. clip — to cut
  24. lash — an eyelash

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