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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. land — ground
  3. clip — for paper
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ball — a dance
  7. spring — a coil
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. clip — a video
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. ball — a great time
  13. snap — to click
  14. spring — the season
  15. squash — to crush
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. kid — to tease
  22. spring — of water
  23. squash — the sport
  24. can — to be able to

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