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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. clip — a video
  5. pop — soda
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pop — music
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kid — child
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bulb — for light
  14. row — a line
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pop — to visit
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. staff — employees
  20. rest — a break
  21. clip — to cut
  22. staff — a stick
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. staff — employees

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