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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. roll — a cake
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. plane — a tool
  10. fine — all right
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fine — high quality
  14. capital — money
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. roll — a list
  19. current — of water
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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