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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. band — a music group
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cold — an illness
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. band — a ring
  14. hand — help
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cold — not warm
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. foot — a measure
  20. hand — in cards
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. lie — to recline
  24. foot — the bottom

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