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: game · tube · perch · clip · rule · spell · bowl · nail

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — a video
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. spell — magic
  6. clip — for paper
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. tube — a container
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — government
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. perch — the fish
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. tube — the underground
  19. spell — a short time
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spell — letters
  23. game — a match
  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