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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. sharp — clever
  3. row — a line
  4. clip — a video
  5. key — in music
  6. stem — to come from
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rush — hurry
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stand — to bear
  11. file — a tool
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. row — to paddle
  14. file — a document
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. key — the most important part
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. key — for a lock
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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