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: shower · vault · squash · date · club · nail · branch · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. vault — a safe
  3. squash — the sport
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. club — for dancing
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. branch — a division
  9. squash — to crush
  10. shower — to wash
  11. date — the fruit
  12. shower — rain
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. clip — for paper
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — a group
  24. clip — to cut

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