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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. perch — the fish
  4. clip — a video
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. game — wild animals
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rock — a stone
  13. clip — to cut
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wind — moving air
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. perch — for a bird

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