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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. charge — a price
  5. kick — in football
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — electricity
  8. rule — a law
  9. court — of law
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. court — for sport
  14. rule — government
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. clip — for paper
  17. court — of a king
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cell — in biology
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cell — a phone
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. kick — a thrill

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