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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pop — music
  3. content — happy
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mark — a trace
  7. file — a document
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. clip — a video
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. content — the amount
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. craft — a skill
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pop — soda
  17. board — a committee
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. mark — a grade
  21. file — a tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. board — to get on
  24. content — videos and posts

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