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: stock · court · nail · perch · mate · mark · snap · clip

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. clip — a video
  3. mark — a grade
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. snap — to click
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mate — a partner
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — for sport
  14. stock — goods
  15. clip — for paper
  16. court — of a king
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. clip — to cut
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. perch — the fish
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mark — a trace
  24. perch — for a bird

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