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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mate — a friend
  4. game — wild animals
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. game — a match
  8. clip — a video
  9. face — to confront
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mate — to breed
  12. file — a document
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mate — a partner

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