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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chair — a leader
  4. clip — a video
  5. net — after costs
  6. cap — a lid
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. net — in sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. clip — for paper
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. clip — to cut
  20. ball — a dance
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. net — for catching

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