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 116 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: mine · file · content · chair · key · fall · clip · pitcher

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. file — a line of people
  5. content — the amount
  6. file — a document
  7. clip — a video
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — to cut
  10. content — happy
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fall — to drop
  19. key — for a lock
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. file — a tool
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pitcher — a jug

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