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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. present — there
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. season — of the year
  6. kid — to tease
  7. season — in sport
  8. pop — soda
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pit — a hole
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. clip — a video
  18. present — a gift
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. swing — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. present — the time now
  24. pit — in a race

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