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: drill · snap · clip · sharp · foot · calf · rule · plane

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. foot — a measure
  3. snap — to click
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rule — government
  6. drill — army training
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. sharp — clever
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. drill — the tool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rule — a law
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. clip — for paper
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. plane — a tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. plane — an aircraft

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