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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mate — a friend
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. file — a line of people
  12. deal — to handle
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. file — a tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. file — a document
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mate — a partner
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. sharp — clever

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