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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. clip — for paper
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cue — for pool
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. drill — army training
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. drill — a practice
  19. net — in sport
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mine — for digging
  22. net — for catching
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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