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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. present — there
  3. rest — a break
  4. clip — a video
  5. present — the time now
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. present — a gift
  8. rest — what's left
  9. saw — the tool
  10. root — the cause
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rest — what's left
  17. root — of a plant
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. root — of a word

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