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: clip · cue · capital · track · rule · spell · pop · hide

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cue — for pool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — a short time
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pop — music
  9. spell — magic
  10. rule — a law
  11. spell — letters
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pop — to visit
  14. clip — for paper
  15. capital — money
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cue — a signal
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. pop — soda
  23. clip — a video
  24. track — a song

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