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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. clip — a video
  3. rash — hasty
  4. can — a tin
  5. cue — a signal
  6. drill — army training
  7. can — to be able to
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. clip — for paper
  10. last — to go on
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. last — final
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. last — finally
  21. can — a tin
  22. rash — a series
  23. drill — a practice
  24. clip — to cut

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