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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cue — a signal
  5. court — for sport
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. court — of a king
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pass — a permit
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pound — a weight
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. court — of law
  22. roll — a list
  23. bear — the animal
  24. plane — an aircraft

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