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: mine · clip · pitch · jam · wake · craft · court · cell

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mine — for digging
  9. court — of law
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. craft — boats
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. clip — a video
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. court — of a king
  20. craft — a skill
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. court — for sport
  23. pitch — completely
  24. jam — in traffic

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