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: staff · race · pit · net · suit · jam · clip · last

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pit — a hole
  6. suit — to fit
  7. race — humankind
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. pit — in a race
  13. suit — clothes
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. net — for catching
  17. clip — to cut
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. race — a contest
  21. suit — in cards
  22. last — final
  23. staff — employees
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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