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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mate — a friend
  4. squash — to crush
  5. clip — for paper
  6. land — a country
  7. mate — to breed
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. clip — a video
  12. club — for golf
  13. land — ground
  14. mate — a partner
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pound — a weight
  21. land — to come down
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. squash — the sport
  24. club — a group

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