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: hide · clip · mine · staff · mate · fine · race · spell

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fine — all right
  6. staff — employees
  7. mate — a friend
  8. race — humankind
  9. mate — a partner
  10. spell — a short time
  11. staff — employees
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mate — to breed
  14. spell — magic
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mine — for digging
  17. clip — for paper
  18. race — the arms race
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. clip — a video
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. spell — letters

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