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: lean · spell · degree · toast · clip · pound · lash · file

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pound — a weight
  3. spell — letters
  4. file — a document
  5. clip — to cut
  6. toast — bread
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. file — a tool
  14. clip — a video
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. degree — temperature
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spell — magic
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. degree — an amount
  22. clip — for paper
  23. lean — thin
  24. spell — a short time

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