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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pop — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. present — a gift
  6. rule — government
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rule — a law
  14. present — there
  15. pop — to visit
  16. scale — size or range
  17. snap — to click
  18. present — the time now
  19. bound — obliged
  20. clip — a video
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pop — soda
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. clip — for paper

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