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: clip · bound · race · row · bass · vault · last · fork

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. vault — a safe
  4. clip — to cut
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. bound — certain
  8. race — a contest
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bound — obliged
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bound — tied together
  17. clip — for paper
  18. race — humankind
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. race — the arms race
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. last — final
  23. clip — a video
  24. bass — low music

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