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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. swing — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. clip — a video
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. dip — to sink
  10. court — of a king
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lie — to recline
  14. clip — for paper
  15. swing — to play on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. court — for sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. clip — to cut
  23. court — of law
  24. row — a line

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