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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. field — a subject
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fall — to drop
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. field — for sport
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. field — farmland
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. object — a thing
  15. clip — a video
  16. bank — of a river
  17. object — an aim
  18. fall — the season
  19. ground — a position
  20. object — to protest
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bank — for money
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bank — for money

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