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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bank — for money
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bank — for money
  6. charge — electricity
  7. last — to go on
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. last — final
  13. clip — a video
  14. object — to protest
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. object — an aim
  17. charge — a price
  18. bank — of a river
  19. last — finally
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. object — a thing
  23. cap — a lid
  24. charge — in control

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