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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — shares
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fine — high quality
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. root — the cause
  9. court — of a king
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stock — goods
  13. clip — to cut
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fine — all right
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. court — for sport
  21. clip — a video
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. court — of law
  24. hide — animal skin

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