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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. clip — a video
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pit — in a race
  7. clip — to cut
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pit — a hole
  13. face — to confront
  14. bound — certain
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. shower — rain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. face — to point toward
  24. field — farmland

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