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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. march — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rash — hasty
  11. face — part of the head
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rash — a series
  14. rule — a law
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. march — the month
  20. clip — to cut
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rule — government
  23. face — to confront
  24. stand — on your feet

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