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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. clip — a video
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. clip — for paper
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stock — goods
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stock — shares
  10. wax — to grow
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. last — to go on
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. last — final
  17. ground — a position
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ground — the earth
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ground — crushed
  22. last — finally
  23. snap — to click
  24. fan — a supporter

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