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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. clip — a video
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. clip — for paper
  7. kick — in football
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bowl — a football final

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