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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chest — a box
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chest — of your body
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stem — to come from
  7. clip — a video
  8. drill — army training
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. drill — a practice
  12. track — a path
  13. charge — in control
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. clip — for paper
  16. last — finally
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. track — a song
  19. charge — electricity
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. last — to go on
  23. charge — a price
  24. clip — to cut

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