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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. charge — a price
  7. tube — a container
  8. charge — in control
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. clip — for paper
  11. tube — the underground
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kick — in football
  17. clip — a video
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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