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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spell — a short time
  3. swing — in golf
  4. clip — to cut
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mine — for digging
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — magic
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. firm — decided
  12. spell — letters
  13. firm — steady
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. saw — the tool
  17. clip — a video
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — to play on
  20. clip — for paper
  21. swing — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. arm — a part of something

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