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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. clip — a video
  4. face — to point toward
  5. craft — boats
  6. staff — employees
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. spell — letters
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. clip — to cut
  11. craft — a skill
  12. clip — for paper
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. face — part of the head
  16. spell — magic
  17. staff — a stick
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spell — a short time
  20. staff — employees
  21. face — to confront
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. date — the fruit

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