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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. saw — the tool
  3. clip — to cut
  4. saw — the tool
  5. object — an aim
  6. chip — to eat
  7. field — farmland
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. field — a subject
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. clip — a video
  16. field — for sport
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. object — a thing
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. chip — for betting
  24. clip — for paper

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