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 116 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: rush · nail · squash · cue · cell · deal · track · clip

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rush — hurry
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cue — a hint
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cue — for pool
  9. track — a song
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. deal — to handle
  13. clip — to cut
  14. track — a path
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. clip — a video
  24. track — to keep track

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