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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kick — in football
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mine — for digging
  16. shower — to wash
  17. clip — for paper
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. deal — to handle
  20. can — a tin
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wax — to grow
  23. clip — a video
  24. mine — an explosive

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