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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. court — for sport
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. kick — in football
  5. cold — not warm
  6. can — a tin
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. clip — a video
  10. stock — shares
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. can — a tin
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. can — to be able to
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stock — goods
  24. pass — a permit

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