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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. capital — money
  6. mark — a grade
  7. degree — temperature
  8. roll — a list
  9. mark — a trace
  10. degree — an amount
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. roll — a cake
  15. can — a tin
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pop — soda
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. capital — a city
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. degree — from a university

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