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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. clip — for paper
  3. band — a music group
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spell — a short time
  8. clip — to cut
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mug — a face
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. hand — help
  13. spell — letters
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cue — a signal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. spell — magic
  20. band — a ring
  21. clip — a video
  22. cue — for pool
  23. mug — a cup
  24. band — a rubber band

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