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: pop · temple · lie · clip · spring · jam · content · bat

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. clip — a video
  5. bat — the animal
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. pop — music
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. pop — soda
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. pop — to visit
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — for paper
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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