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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. clip — a video
  3. shower — to wash
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. race — humankind
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. race — a contest
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. shower — rain
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. race — the arms race
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. clip — for paper

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