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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. sharp — clever
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rush — hurry
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bass — the fish
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cap — of ice
  23. scale — in music
  24. rush — a thrill

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