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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mate — a partner
  4. kid — child
  5. spring — the season
  6. bear — the animal
  7. firm — decided
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. clip — for paper
  10. spring — a coil
  11. firm — steady
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. spring — of water
  14. clip — a video
  15. board — a committee
  16. hand — help
  17. board — to get on
  18. mate — to breed
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kid — to tease

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