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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. clip — for paper
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. file — a tool
  8. clip — to cut
  9. land — to come down
  10. fine — all right
  11. clip — a video
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ground — a position
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ground — the earth
  18. file — a document
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pass — a permit
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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