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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. last — finally
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. chair — a leader
  11. last — final
  12. wake — a trail
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. last — to go on
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. file — a document
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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