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: bay · drill · row · clip · march · chip · file · last

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. file — a line of people
  3. drill — the tool
  4. march — music
  5. file — a tool
  6. chip — for betting
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. file — a document
  13. row — to paddle
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. march — the month
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. last — final
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. march — the month
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. drill — army training
  24. chip — to eat

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