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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. last — finally
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rock — music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. clip — for paper
  16. last — to go on
  17. pit — a hole
  18. capital — a city
  19. last — final
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bass — low music
  24. capital — money

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