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: court · bay · firm · temple · plane · content · clip · wound

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. court — of law
  4. content — the amount
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. firm — decided
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. firm — steady
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wound — an injury
  11. court — for sport
  12. content — happy
  13. wound — an injury
  14. firm — a company
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. clip — a video
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. court — of a king
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. plane — a tool
  24. clip — for paper

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