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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rest — what's left
  3. court — of law
  4. charge — in control
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rest — what's left
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. court — for sport
  9. fine — high quality
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. board — to get on
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fine — all right
  15. court — of a king
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rash — a series
  19. charge — a price
  20. board — a committee
  21. rest — a break
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fine — a penalty

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