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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. land — a country
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pit — in a race
  8. clip — to cut
  9. land — to come down
  10. snap — to click
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. staff — a stick
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pit — a hole
  15. land — ground
  16. staff — employees
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. staff — employees
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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