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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · racket · object · bass · content · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. content — the amount
  5. object — to protest
  6. content — happy
  7. clip — a video
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. object — an aim
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bass — low music
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — boats
  18. object — a thing

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