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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mark — a grade
  4. clip — for paper
  5. march — music
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mark — a trace
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. saw — the tool
  11. clip — a video
  12. file — a document
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. file — a tool
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. clip — to cut
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — magic
  23. march — the month
  24. safe — a strongbox

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