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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. deal — to handle
  4. content — the amount
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. clip — a video
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. date — the fruit
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. net — after costs
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kid — child
  22. clip — to cut
  23. net — for catching
  24. content — happy

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