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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. game — a match
  3. season — of the year
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fine — high quality
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fine — all right
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rest — what's left
  16. season — in sport
  17. bore — to tire
  18. game — wild animals
  19. clip — a video
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bore — to drill
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rest — a break

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