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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cap — a hat
  4. track — to keep track
  5. kid — to tease
  6. race — a contest
  7. cue — a hint
  8. kid — child
  9. cap — of ice
  10. clip — a video
  11. file — a tool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. file — a line of people
  15. clip — to cut
  16. track — a song
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cap — a lid
  19. file — a document
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bulb — for light
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cue — for pool
  24. race — humankind

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