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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. land — a country
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bound — obliged
  5. clip — a video
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. last — finally
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. clip — to cut
  10. land — ground
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — moving air
  19. last — final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. land — to come down
  23. last — to go on
  24. bound — certain

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