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: clip · bay · sharp · tear · bass · cell · drill · pitch

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. drill — a practice
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bass — low music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. drill — army training
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. clip — a video
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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