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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. season — in sport
  4. firm — steady
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. board — a committee
  7. cue — a signal
  8. net — for catching
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. clip — to cut
  11. capital — a city
  12. cue — for pool
  13. capital — money
  14. firm — a company
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. firm — decided
  17. season — of the year
  18. net — after costs
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. board — to get on
  21. clip — a video
  22. net — in sport
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. clip — for paper

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