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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. row — a line
  6. pop — soda
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. degree — from a university
  9. clip — for paper
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rest — a break
  21. pop — music
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bay — a horse colour

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