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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. staff — employees
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. clip — a video
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cell — in biology
  11. row — a line
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. staff — a stick
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. clip — to cut
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. staff — employees

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