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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pop — music
  3. clip — for paper
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. snap — to click
  9. pop — to visit
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. face — to confront
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. net — for catching
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pop — soda
  22. face — to point toward
  23. ground — the earth
  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