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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. clip — a video
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chest — a box
  20. mate — to breed
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bore — to drill
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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