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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. wax — to grow
  6. clip — for paper
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bound — obliged
  9. drill — the tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. capital — a city
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. drill — a practice
  21. clip — a video
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. drill — army training
  24. bore — to tire

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