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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. band — a music group
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. track — a path
  13. pop — music
  14. stem — to come from
  15. content — happy
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. track — to keep track
  19. band — a ring
  20. clip — to cut
  21. track — a song
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. content — the amount

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