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 120 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: shower · tear · mouse · saw · lean · pitch · clip · pound

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. shower — rain
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — to wash
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lean — thin
  24. clip — to cut

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