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 124 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. suit — clothes
  6. net — after costs
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. suit — to fit
  11. net — in sport
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. face — part of the head
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. net — for catching
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pound — a weight
  24. face — to confront

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