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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spring — a coil
  4. court — of law
  5. spring — the season
  6. kick — in football
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. drill — a practice
  10. court — of a king
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. spring — of water
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. drill — the tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. court — for sport
  19. clip — a video
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. drill — army training
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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