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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. game — a match
  3. clip — a video
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rash — a series
  6. net — in sport
  7. game — wild animals
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. net — for catching
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rash — hasty
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. net — after costs
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. temple — a place of worship

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