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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. root — of a plant
  6. kid — child
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. root — the cause
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. ball — a dance
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. row — to paddle
  18. root — of a word
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kid — to tease
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pound — a weight
  23. row — a line
  24. wax — to grow

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