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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. file — a document
  5. deal — to handle
  6. clip — a video
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stock — goods
  11. saw — the tool
  12. swing — to play on
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. clip — to cut
  17. swing — in golf
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. swing — music
  20. stock — shares
  21. file — a line of people
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. file — a tool

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