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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. season — of the year
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wake — a trail
  6. clip — to cut
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. clip — a video
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. season — in sport
  11. bat — the animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. deal — to handle
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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