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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. clip — a video
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. march — the month
  10. content — the amount
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. kick — in football
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. march — music
  24. racket — for tennis

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