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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. craft — boats
  3. last — finally
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. staff — a stick
  7. last — to go on
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — for paper
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. craft — a skill
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. track — to keep track
  17. clip — to cut
  18. track — a path
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. clip — a video
  21. staff — employees
  22. pass — a permit
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — final

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