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 116 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: clip · bass · mark · spell · bound · tear · chip · staff

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. staff — employees
  3. bound — certain
  4. bass — low music
  5. staff — employees
  6. tear — to rip
  7. chip — to eat
  8. spell — magic
  9. chip — for betting
  10. clip — to cut
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — obliged
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. clip — a video
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. bound — tied together
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. chip — in a computer

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