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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. clip — to cut
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. prune — to trim
  6. club — a group
  7. rash — hasty
  8. spell — letters
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. clip — a video
  13. spell — magic
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — a short time
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. rash — a series
  24. clip — for paper

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