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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. chest — a box
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mate — a partner
  6. sharp — clever
  7. spring — the season
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. can — a tin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mate — a friend
  13. spring — of water
  14. can — a tin
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mate — to breed
  17. chest — of your body
  18. can — to be able to
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stand — to bear
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. clip — a video

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