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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bass — low music
  3. net — for catching
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. clip — to cut
  6. degree — from a university
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. degree — an amount
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. degree — temperature
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. foot — a measure
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bass — the fish
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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