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: stem · net · clip · arm · toast · capital

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. net — after costs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. clip — a video
  12. stem — to come from
  13. capital — a city
  14. clip — for paper
  15. net — for catching
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. capital — money
  18. net — in sport

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