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: clip · fork · pitch · drill · bay · last · face · roll

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. roll — a cake
  3. drill — army training
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. roll — a list
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. clip — a video
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. face — to confront
  12. last — to go on
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. last — finally
  16. pitch — completely
  17. clip — to cut
  18. last — final
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. face — to point toward
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. clip — for paper
  23. face — part of the head
  24. drill — the tool

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