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 124 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. net — for catching
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bank — of a river
  5. net — in sport
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — a video
  9. season — in sport
  10. bound — certain
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bank — for money
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mine — for digging
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bound — obliged
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. net — after costs
  22. season — of the year
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. toast — bread

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