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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spell — letters
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cap — a lid
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cap — a hat
  17. dip — to sink
  18. clip — a video
  19. spell — magic
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cap — of ice
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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