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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. dip — to sink
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cue — a signal
  8. clip — a video
  9. spring — the season
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. sharp — clever
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cue — a hint
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spring — of water
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fall — to drop
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cue — for pool
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. clip — to cut

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