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: current · pit · swing · file · mug · band · clip · tear

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. swing — to play on
  3. band — a ring
  4. tear — to rip
  5. swing — in golf
  6. clip — a video
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. current — electric
  9. file — a line of people
  10. clip — for paper
  11. file — a document
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. file — a tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pit — a hole
  17. swing — music
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. mug — a cup
  22. band — a music group
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pit — in a race

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