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: firm · nail · date · chair · clip · cell · racket · rash

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. clip — to cut
  3. firm — steady
  4. clip — a video
  5. date — the fruit
  6. chair — a leader
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rash — a series
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rash — hasty
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cell — a phone
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — a company
  22. cell — in biology
  23. clip — for paper
  24. nail — on a finger

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