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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. season — in sport
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. board — a committee
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. clip — for paper
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. season — of the year
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rush — hurry
  18. board — to get on
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. clip — a video
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. charge — in control

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