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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. face — to point toward
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. present — there
  9. rash — a series
  10. face — to confront
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. net — in sport
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — for catching
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rest — a break
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. present — the time now
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. present — a gift
  22. net — after costs
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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