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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. clip — a video
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pit — in a race
  7. kick — in football
  8. cap — a lid
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cap — of ice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cap — a hat
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pit — a hole
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. tube — a container
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. clip — to cut
  24. date — the fruit

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