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: pit · mug · fork · row · rock · squash · mine · clip

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. squash — to crush
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mug — a face
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mine — for digging
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. row — a line
  14. rock — music
  15. pit — in a race
  16. squash — the sport
  17. row — to paddle
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mug — to rob
  24. fork — in a road

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