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: roll · rest · track · pass · clip · bass · hand · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. hand — help
  4. bass — low music
  5. clip — to cut
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rest — what's left
  8. roll — a cake
  9. hand — in cards
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pass — a permit
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rest — a break
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. roll — a list
  21. clip — a video
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. roll — on a roll

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