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 120 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: perch · clip · field · racket · file · chair · safe · pass

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. field — a subject
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. clip — to cut
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pass — a permit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. clip — for paper
  13. file — a tool
  14. field — farmland
  15. perch — the fish
  16. field — for sport
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. file — a line of people
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. file — a document
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. clip — a video

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