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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spell — magic
  7. hand — in cards
  8. craft — a skill
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rest — what's left
  12. hand — help
  13. pop — music
  14. cell — in biology
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pop — soda
  18. rest — a break
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cell — a phone
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. craft — boats

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