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: stick · last · degree · cue · clip · sharp · foot · saw

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. last — finally
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. clip — to cut
  4. last — final
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cue — for pool
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cue — a hint
  9. sharp — clever
  10. degree — from a university
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cue — a signal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. foot — a measure
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. last — to go on
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. foot — the bottom
  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