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: clip · mine · capital · wave · kick · rule · rush · date

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. clip — a video
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rule — a law
  5. kick — in football
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rule — government
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. capital — money
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. capital — a city
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. rush — to hurry
  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