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: snap · drill · club · clip · saw · land · press · wound

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — to come down
  5. clip — for paper
  6. snap — to click
  7. club — for dancing
  8. land — a country
  9. wound — an injury
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. clip — a video
  13. wound — an injury
  14. club — for golf
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. club — a group
  18. press — a publisher
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. drill — the tool
  21. clip — to cut
  22. drill — army training
  23. land — ground
  24. drill — a practice

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