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: roll · wake · game · saw · chest · mark · firm · clip

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. saw — the tool
  3. clip — for paper
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mark — a grade
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. clip — to cut
  8. game — a match
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chest — of your body
  13. firm — steady
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wake — a trail
  16. clip — a video
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. firm — a company
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chest — a box
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. firm — decided

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