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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mug — a face
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. clip — a video
  8. mug — to rob
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mug — a cup
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. last — finally
  13. land — a country
  14. last — to go on
  15. game — wild animals
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. game — a match
  19. row — to paddle
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. last — final
  22. clip — to cut
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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