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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bear — the animal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. game — wild animals
  6. clip — a video
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. clip — to cut
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. game — a match
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lean — thin
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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