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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. charge — a price
  7. clip — a video
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. hand — in cards
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. charge — in control
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cap — of ice
  19. foot — a measure
  20. hand — help
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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