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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — to cut
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. clip — a video
  8. snap — to click
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. ground — a position
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bowl — a dish

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