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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. file — a tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — a safe
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. face — to point toward
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. file — a document
  16. face — to confront
  17. clip — to cut
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. kick — in football
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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