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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. clip — for paper
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. clip — a video
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rule — a law
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. shower — to wash
  13. chip — for betting
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rule — government
  18. shower — rain
  19. track — a path
  20. mate — to breed
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. prune — to trim

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