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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spring — a coil
  4. current — electric
  5. face — to point toward
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rock — a stone
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. mark — a grade
  12. face — to confront
  13. clip — a video
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rock — music
  16. current — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. clip — for paper
  22. current — happening now
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mark — a trace

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