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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cold — an illness
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cold — not warm
  8. staff — employees
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. drill — the tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mark — a trace
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. clip — to cut
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. clip — for paper
  19. drill — a practice
  20. staff — employees
  21. mark — a grade
  22. squash — to crush
  23. staff — a stick
  24. drill — army training

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