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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. mate — a partner
  3. clip — to cut
  4. last — to go on
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. last — final
  9. can — a tin
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. last — finally
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. rock — music
  19. can — a tin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rock — a stone
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. clip — for paper
  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