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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. present — a gift
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rash — a series
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. lie — to recline
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. shower — rain
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. clip — a video
  23. wound — an injury
  24. straw — a straw man

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