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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. last — final
  3. scale — in music
  4. present — the time now
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. net — after costs
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. last — to go on
  9. scale — size or range
  10. present — there
  11. track — to keep track
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. net — for catching
  14. track — a song
  15. clip — for paper
  16. net — in sport
  17. race — humankind
  18. clip — a video
  19. track — a path
  20. race — the arms race
  21. present — a gift
  22. last — finally
  23. clip — to cut
  24. race — a contest

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