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: present · mouse · spring · wake · lie · rush · fall · clip

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spring — of water
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fall — the season
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rush — hurry
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spring — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. clip — a video
  24. rush — a thrill

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