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 124 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fine — high quality
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. clip — for paper
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kid — to tease
  14. game — a match
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hand — help
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. kid — child
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fine — all right
  22. mate — to breed
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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