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 120 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: pound · file · fan · kick · clip · charge · capital · court

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. charge — in control
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. capital — a city
  5. clip — a video
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. file — a tool
  8. court — of law
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. charge — electricity
  14. file — a document
  15. court — for sport
  16. capital — money
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pound — a weight
  19. charge — a price
  20. court — of a king
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. clip — for paper

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