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: wound · tube · clip · fan · key · can · field · bay

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. can — to be able to
  3. clip — a video
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. can — a tin
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. field — for sport
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. tube — the underground
  13. field — a subject
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. field — farmland
  20. clip — to cut
  21. key — in music
  22. can — a tin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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