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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. net — after costs
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. season — in sport
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rest — a break
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. clip — a video
  10. cell — in biology
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — certain
  13. net — in sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rest — what's left
  20. net — for catching
  21. bear — the animal
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bound — tied together

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