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: clip · plane · wound · cue · band · lash · ruler · pitcher

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. clip — a video
  6. cue — a signal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. band — a ring
  20. cue — for pool
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. band — a music group

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