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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rash — hasty
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. current — electric
  7. clip — for paper
  8. current — of water
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. clip — a video
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. season — of the year
  13. field — for sport
  14. clip — to cut
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — the time now
  17. season — in sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. current — happening now
  20. present — there
  21. snap — to click
  22. present — a gift
  23. field — farmland
  24. rash — a series

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