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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. key — the most important part
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cap — a lid
  10. key — in music
  11. pound — a weight
  12. key — for a lock
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. club — for golf
  21. cap — a hat
  22. clip — a video
  23. row — to paddle
  24. deal — a big deal

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