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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. court — of law
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. court — of a king
  8. rest — what's left
  9. board — to get on
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pop — music
  16. board — a committee
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rest — a break
  19. pop — soda
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rule — government
  22. rest — what's left
  23. court — for sport
  24. rule — a law

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