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 124 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cue — a signal
  4. root — of a plant
  5. suit — to fit
  6. clip — for paper
  7. root — the cause
  8. suit — in cards
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cell — a phone
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. cell — in biology
  16. court — of law
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. court — of a king
  19. race — a contest
  20. cue — for pool
  21. root — of a word
  22. clip — a video
  23. court — for sport
  24. scale — for weighing

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