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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. clip — a video
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fall — the season
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cold — not warm
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. foot — a measure
  24. calf — a young animal

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