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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. clip — to cut
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bass — low music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. court — for sport
  8. clip — a video
  9. swing — music
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. swing — in golf
  13. net — in sport
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mate — to breed
  16. court — of a king
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. court — of law
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bass — the fish

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