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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. staff — employees
  3. capital — a city
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. clip — a video
  8. wake — a trail
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cell — a phone
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. staff — employees
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. capital — money
  18. staff — a stick

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