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 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mug — a face
  3. clip — for paper
  4. branch — a division
  5. kick — in football
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. field — for sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mug — to rob
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bound — certain
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. field — a subject
  24. clip — a video

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