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 · degree · branch · fall · swing · pitch · squash · ball

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitch — completely
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fall — to drop
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. squash — the sport
  9. swing — to play on
  10. degree — from a university
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ball — a great time
  14. clip — for paper
  15. degree — an amount
  16. swing — in golf
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. branch — a division
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. swing — music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fall — the season
  24. branch — of a bank

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