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: net · clip · plane · tear · lie · row · wind · bay

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. clip — to cut
  3. net — after costs
  4. clip — a video
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — to recline
  16. net — for catching
  17. row — a line
  18. tear — from crying
  19. plane — a tool
  20. net — in sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — to rip
  24. plane — in geometry

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