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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. clip — a video
  4. present — a gift
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bank — for money
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bank — of a river
  9. key — for a lock
  10. present — the time now
  11. file — a document
  12. key — in music
  13. drill — army training
  14. clip — for paper
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. clip — to cut
  17. saw — the tool
  18. file — a tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. present — there
  21. key — the most important part
  22. saw — the tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bank — for money

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