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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fine — high quality
  3. clip — a video
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. clip — for paper
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cell — a phone
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. fine — all right
  16. file — a document
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pound — a weight
  19. file — a tool
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. clip — to cut

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