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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — a group
  6. cap — of ice
  7. club — for golf
  8. clip — to cut
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rest — a break
  12. clip — a video
  13. drill — a practice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. drill — army training
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. spell — a short time
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. board — a flat piece

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