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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. clip — a video
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. degree — from a university
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. clip — to cut
  9. band — a ring
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. object — to protest
  13. fine — all right
  14. degree — temperature
  15. clip — for paper
  16. object — an aim
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. band — a music group
  19. season — in sport
  20. object — a thing
  21. fine — high quality
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. season — of the year

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