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: clip · last · season · pitch · staff · tear · tube · spell

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spell — letters
  4. clip — a video
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. spell — a short time
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — employees
  14. tear — to rip
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. pitch — completely
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spell — magic
  21. last — final
  22. tube — a container
  23. season — in sport
  24. last — finally

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