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: nail · shower · fine · clip · track · chair · stand · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. clip — a video
  3. track — a path
  4. chair — a leader
  5. clip — for paper
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. track — to keep track
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fine — all right
  10. track — a song
  11. present — the time now
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. shower — rain
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fine — high quality
  19. clip — to cut
  20. present — there
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stand — for spectators

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