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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. object — an aim
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. club — a group
  8. file — a line of people
  9. club — for golf
  10. file — a document
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a tool
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. object — to protest
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. face — to confront
  19. clip — a video
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. face — part of the head
  22. club — for dancing
  23. object — a thing
  24. face — to point toward

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