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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. clip — for paper
  3. drill — army training
  4. sharp — clever
  5. shower — rain
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. club — a group
  10. net — after costs
  11. drill — a practice
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. club — for golf
  15. clip — a video
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. drill — the tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. rule — a law
  22. clip — to cut
  23. shower — to wash
  24. club — for dancing

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