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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. board — a committee
  4. net — for catching
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. court — for sport
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. court — of law
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. press — newspapers
  14. net — in sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. wake — a trail
  17. foot — a measure
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. net — after costs
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. clip — to cut
  24. court — of a king

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