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

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. drill — the tool
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — a song
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — the fish
  12. clip — to cut
  13. drill — army training
  14. wound — an injury
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. object — an aim
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. object — to protest
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fall — the season
  23. drill — a practice
  24. track — a path

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