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: row · cabinet · wound · field · clip · date · chip · lash

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. row — a line
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. clip — a video
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. field — a subject
  10. date — the fruit
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chip — to eat
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wound — an injury
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. field — for 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