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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. clip — to cut
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. season — in sport
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. spell — magic
  8. tear — to rip
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — a video
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. season — of the year
  14. chest — a box
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. spell — letters
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. clip — for paper
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bear — the animal

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