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: tear · craft · file · clip · spell · pitch · board · cue

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tear — from crying
  3. clip — to cut
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. spell — letters
  7. file — a line of people
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cue — for pool
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. cue — a signal
  14. board — to get on
  15. spell — magic
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spell — a short time
  19. board — a committee
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pitch — completely
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. tear — from crying

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