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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mate — a friend
  9. saw — the tool
  10. clip — a video
  11. band — a music group
  12. cell — a phone
  13. band — a ring
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mate — to breed
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mark — a trace
  18. face — to point toward
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. clip — for paper
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. mark — to pay attention

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