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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. clip — to cut
  6. prune — to trim
  7. scale — size or range
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fork — in a road
  10. prune — to trim
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. scale — in music
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. field — a subject
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. field — farmland

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