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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pound — a weight
  3. clip — a video
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. field — for sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. spell — letters
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bass — low music
  13. field — farmland
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mate — a partner
  21. field — a subject
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mate — a friend
  24. clip — to cut

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