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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — a division
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. last — final
  9. mate — a friend
  10. last — finally
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mate — to breed
  14. last — to go on
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. date — the fruit
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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