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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. clip — to cut
  15. face — to confront
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bear — the animal
  24. clip — a video

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