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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. track — a path
  3. present — there
  4. clip — for paper
  5. spring — the season
  6. bank — for money
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. present — the time now
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bank — for money
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bank — of a river
  14. clip — to cut
  15. net — in sport
  16. spring — of water
  17. present — a gift
  18. net — after costs
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. net — for catching
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. track — a song
  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