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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wax — to grow
  6. root — of a plant
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. degree — an amount
  9. root — the cause
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. snap — to click
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. clip — for paper
  20. root — of a word
  21. chair — a leader
  22. clip — to cut
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. chair — to sit 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