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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pit — in a race
  3. clip — to cut
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. clip — a video
  10. race — humankind
  11. clip — for paper
  12. march — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fine — all right
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fine — high quality
  18. race — the arms race
  19. shower — rain
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. march — the month
  23. race — a contest
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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