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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. kid — child
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. craft — a skill
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. clip — a video
  12. rule — a law
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rule — government
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. race — a contest
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. race — the arms race
  23. clip — to cut
  24. race — humankind

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