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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. firm — a company
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — for paper
  7. march — music
  8. firm — steady
  9. drill — army training
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pit — a hole
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. clip — a video
  14. pit — in a race
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. firm — decided
  20. march — the month
  21. degree — from a university
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. drill — a practice

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