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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. pass — a permit
  2. track — a song
  3. bank — for money
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hand — in cards
  9. file — a line of people
  10. hand — help
  11. bank — for money
  12. clip — to cut
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bank — of a river
  18. stock — goods
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. hand — part of the body
  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