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: scale · clip · ball · saw · wound · band · rush · craft

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. rush — hurry
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. scale — in music
  6. craft — boats
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. band — a ring
  9. scale — size or range
  10. clip — a video
  11. craft — a skill
  12. ball — a great time
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ball — a dance
  19. clip — to cut
  20. band — a music group
  21. clip — for paper
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wound — an injury
  24. saw — the tool

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