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: leaves · staff · clip · drill · season · bass · spell · face

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — low music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. spell — magic
  5. staff — a stick
  6. spell — letters
  7. clip — to cut
  8. season — in sport
  9. bass — the fish
  10. drill — a practice
  11. spell — a short time
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — a video
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. drill — the tool
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. face — to confront
  23. drill — army training
  24. season — of the year

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