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: mate · track · drill · clip · fan · present · bay · cold

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. present — there
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mate — to breed
  9. present — the time now
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. track — a song
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. drill — the tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. drill — army training
  20. present — a gift
  21. track — a path
  22. clip — a video
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fan — a supporter

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