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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fall — the season
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. clip — for paper
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. content — the amount
  8. club — for golf
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rock — music
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rock — a stone
  13. ground — the earth
  14. season — of the year
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. clip — a video
  17. ground — a position
  18. fall — to drop
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ground — crushed
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. clip — to cut

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