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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. file — a document
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. degree — from a university
  7. spell — letters
  8. cue — a signal
  9. clip — a video
  10. degree — temperature
  11. clip — for paper
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. clip — to cut
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cue — for pool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. file — a tool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. degree — an amount
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. file — a line of people
  24. spell — magic

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