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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cap — a hat
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. cap — a lid
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pop — soda
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. clip — for paper
  17. season — of the year
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. clip — a video
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. march — music

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