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 116 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. track — a song
  4. spring — of water
  5. mate — a partner
  6. track — a path
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spring — the season
  9. season — in sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. clip — for paper
  15. season — of the year
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bass — the fish
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ball — a great time
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mate — a friend

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