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: spell · clip · nail · race · fine · ball · perch · plane

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ball — a great time
  4. race — humankind
  5. ball — a dance
  6. clip — a video
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — letters
  12. race — the arms race
  13. plane — a tool
  14. clip — to cut
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fine — high quality
  17. race — a contest
  18. perch — the fish
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. ball — a round shape

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