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: present · rest · toast · saw · clip · tube · ground · bulb

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. present — the time now
  4. ground — a position
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. toast — bread
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bulb — for light
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tube — the underground
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. bulb — of a plant

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