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: game · object · drill · spell · mouse · last · court · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. last — final
  3. court — of law
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. clip — to cut
  6. spell — a short time
  7. court — of a king
  8. spell — magic
  9. last — finally
  10. court — for sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. object — to protest
  13. drill — army training
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. drill — a practice
  18. clip — for paper
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. spell — letters
  21. drill — the tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. last — to go on

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