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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. cell — in biology
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rest — a break
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — what's left
  10. clip — for paper
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fall — the season
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pit — in a race
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pop — soda
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pop — music

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