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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. track — a path
  3. race — a contest
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. track — to keep track
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. current — of water
  12. can — a tin
  13. track — a song
  14. race — humankind
  15. board — to get on
  16. current — happening now
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — electric
  20. board — a committee
  21. race — the arms race
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. dip — a sauce

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