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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. file — a line of people
  3. clip — a video
  4. drill — army training
  5. last — finally
  6. ground — the earth
  7. file — a document
  8. ground — crushed
  9. file — a tool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. drill — a practice
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ground — a position
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wax — to grow
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. last — final
  24. wax — for sculpting

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