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 · cap · ball · kid · scale · cabinet · roll · board

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cap — a lid
  3. scale — in music
  4. ball — a dance
  5. board — a committee
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cap — a hat
  10. roll — a cake
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cap — of ice
  14. board — to get on
  15. roll — a list
  16. ball — a great time
  17. clip — a video
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. clip — for paper
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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