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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. clip — a video
  5. mine — for digging
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. court — for sport
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. clip — to cut
  11. court — of a king
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. clip — for paper
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. net — after costs
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. court — of law

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