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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. clip — a video
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pop — soda
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pop — music
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bulb — for light
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. pop — to visit
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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