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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. row — a line
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spring — a coil
  9. clip — to cut
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. kick — in football
  14. spring — the season
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. spring — of water
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. craft — boats
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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