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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. clip — a video
  7. ball — a dance
  8. file — a document
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. file — a line of people
  13. face — part of the head
  14. file — a tool
  15. deal — to handle
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stand — to bear
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. march — the month

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