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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fall — the season
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. clip — a video
  11. pound — a weight
  12. vault — a safe
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fall — to drop
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. file — a document
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. hand — help
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. clip — for paper
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pound — to hit hard

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