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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tube — the underground
  4. current — electric
  5. march — music
  6. current — of water
  7. field — a subject
  8. clip — for paper
  9. net — in sport
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — for sport
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. march — the month
  15. net — for catching
  16. clip — a video
  17. march — the month
  18. net — after costs
  19. rule — government
  20. current — happening now
  21. field — farmland
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rule — a law
  24. tube — a container

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