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: straw · season · scale · fall · hand · clip · file · firm

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. hand — in cards
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. scale — size or range
  9. clip — for paper
  10. firm — a company
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — help
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. firm — decided
  18. season — in sport
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. season — of the year
  22. scale — in music
  23. firm — steady
  24. file — a document

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