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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. root — of a word
  4. present — there
  5. hand — help
  6. mate — a friend
  7. present — a gift
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. clip — a video
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pound — a weight
  14. hand — in cards
  15. root — the cause
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. present — the time now
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mate — a partner
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. hand — part of the body

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