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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mark — a grade
  4. face — to confront
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. clip — to cut
  7. current — of water
  8. face — part of the head
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mark — a trace
  11. current — electric
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. face — to point toward
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. current — happening now
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. clip — a video

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