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: suit · bay · sharp · wake · wind · clip · roll · pound

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wind — moving air
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. suit — in cards
  11. clip — a video
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. sharp — clever
  14. roll — a cake
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. suit — to fit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. suit — clothes
  23. roll — a list
  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