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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · pound · clip · fan · plane · jam · stand · face

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. face — to confront
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. clip — a video
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. ground — the earth
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. face — to point toward
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. ground — a position
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stand — to bear
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. pound — a weight

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