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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. kick — in football
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rash — hasty
  8. clip — a video
  9. season — in sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rush — hurry
  13. season — of the year
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stand — to bear
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. swing — music
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. clip — for paper
  24. swing — to play on

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