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 124 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. land — to come down
  3. game — a match
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. mate — a partner
  7. clip — a video
  8. bear — the animal
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pass — a permit
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. land — ground
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. land — a country
  20. mate — a friend
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mate — to breed
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bear — the animal

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