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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. saw — the tool
  6. clip — to cut
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. clip — a video
  14. tear — from crying
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rush — hurry
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mark — a grade
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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