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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. present — there
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pop — music
  12. present — a gift
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rest — a break
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rest — what's left
  17. present — the time now
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rash — a series
  20. clip — a video
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pop — soda
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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