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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · wound · bat · pop · clip · nail · bay · bore

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pop — soda
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bat — the animal
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. bore — to drill
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. race — humankind
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wound — an injury
  21. race — a contest
  22. pop — music
  23. bore — to tire
  24. nail — for a hammer

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