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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bound — obliged
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. lie — to recline
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. track — to keep track
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. kick — in football
  14. track — a song
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bound — certain
  17. track — a path
  18. clip — a video
  19. stand — to bear
  20. file — a tool
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stand — on your feet

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