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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pit — in a race
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. rash — hasty
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. kick — in football
  9. net — after costs
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. file — a tool
  12. clip — a video
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. clip — to cut
  15. net — in sport
  16. craft — a skill
  17. file — a document
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. rash — a series
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pit — a hole
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. craft — boats

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