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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. clip — a video
  3. degree — from a university
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. suit — to fit
  9. key — in music
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. content — happy
  12. suit — in cards
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. clip — for paper
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. clip — to cut
  23. key — the most important part
  24. suit — clothes

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