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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. staff — a stick
  3. march — music
  4. charge — electricity
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. court — for sport
  8. clip — to cut
  9. court — of a king
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — employees
  12. charge — a price
  13. kick — in football
  14. charge — in control
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. court — of law
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. clip — for paper
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. march — the month

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