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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. clip — to cut
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. board — a committee
  8. clip — a video
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cold — an illness
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. board — to get on

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