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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. clip — a video
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. clip — to cut
  17. scale — in music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. clip — for paper
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bass — the fish
  22. ground — a position
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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