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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mate — a partner
  5. race — humankind
  6. clip — to cut
  7. suit — in cards
  8. chest — of your body
  9. track — a song
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. suit — clothes
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — to keep track
  15. mate — to breed
  16. clip — a video
  17. chest — a box
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. race — a contest
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. track — a path
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. race — the arms race

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