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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. roll — a list
  6. pit — a hole
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pit — in a race
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. court — of law
  16. wake — a trail
  17. court — of a king
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. court — for sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. clip — a video
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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