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: last · bass · jam · stick · mark · kid · drill · clip

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bass — low music
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. clip — a video
  15. kid — child
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mark — a grade
  18. clip — for paper
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kid — to tease

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