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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. wound — an injury
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mug — to rob
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. face — to point toward
  15. lean — thin
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wind — moving air
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mug — a face
  23. wound — an injury
  24. prune — the fruit

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