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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. row — a line
  6. clip — to cut
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — a list
  9. track — a song
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. row — to paddle
  12. drill — a practice
  13. track — a path
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. track — to keep track
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. chip — for betting
  23. clip — a video
  24. jam — a tight spot

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