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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. clip — to cut
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. clip — a video
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rock — music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rock — a stone
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. game — a match
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. cell — in biology
  24. drill — the tool

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