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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. club — for golf
  3. bear — the animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. club — a group
  6. chair — a leader
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — a video
  9. bear — the animal
  10. can — to be able to
  11. clip — for paper
  12. net — after costs
  13. march — the month
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. club — for dancing
  16. net — for catching
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. march — music
  21. mug — a face
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. can — a tin
  24. march — the month

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