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

Word bank: clip · season · coach · swing · racket · sharp · mine · scale

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. swing — in golf
  3. clip — a video
  4. sharp — clever
  5. scale — in music
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. swing — music
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. clip — to cut
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. swing — to play on
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mine — for digging
  22. clip — for paper
  23. season — in sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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