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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. present — a gift
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. land — a country
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bore — to tire
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — a path
  9. land — ground
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. clip — for paper
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. mark — a trace
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bore — to drill
  22. toast — bread
  23. mark — a grade
  24. clip — a video

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