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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. clip — to cut
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. drill — the tool
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. clip — for paper
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. foot — a measure
  24. march — the month

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