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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wake — a trail
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spell — magic
  8. charge — in control
  9. clip — to cut
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spell — letters
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. clip — a video
  17. charge — a price
  18. spell — a short time
  19. charge — electricity
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. saw — the tool
  24. arm — a part of something

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