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 120 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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. clip — a video
  4. snap — to click
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bass — low music
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mug — a face
  15. track — a song
  16. clip — for paper
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chest — a box

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