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 · leaves · pitcher · coach · degree · bowl · bound · cell

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bound — certain
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bound — obliged
  23. degree — from a university
  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