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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. scale — size or range
  3. clip — to cut
  4. key — in music
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. clip — a video
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. scale — in music
  10. track — a path
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pitch — completely
  16. key — the most important part
  17. track — to keep track
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. track — a song
  21. clip — for paper
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. scale — for weighing

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