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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. clip — a video
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pop — music
  11. mark — a grade
  12. clip — for paper
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stem — to come from
  24. date — on the calendar

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