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: nail · wind · fine · perch · clip · charge · pop · season

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. charge — electricity
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pop — music
  10. charge — in control
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. season — of the year
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wind — moving air
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. season — in sport
  23. wind — moving air
  24. clip — a video

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