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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. game — wild animals
  3. staff — employees
  4. clip — a video
  5. march — the month
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. march — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cue — a signal
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. face — to confront
  19. game — a match
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rush — hurry

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