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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. net — after costs
  5. game — wild animals
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stem — to come from
  12. clip — a video
  13. net — in sport
  14. pit — in a race
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. game — a match
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. net — for catching
  23. wave — with your hand
  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