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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. file — a document
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pass — a permit
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rock — music
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rock — a stone
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. clip — for paper
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — a video
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. clip — to cut
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. spring — the season
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. spring — of water

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