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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. snap — to click
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. land — to come down
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. chair — a leader
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. clip — to cut
  16. dip — to sink
  17. clip — for paper
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. land — ground
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. leaves — to go away

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