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: lie · squash · cabinet · track · kick · clip · field · can

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. can — a tin
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. clip — a video
  7. can — to be able to
  8. squash — the sport
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. field — farmland
  11. lie — to recline
  12. can — a tin
  13. squash — to crush
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — for paper
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. kick — in football
  19. field — for sport
  20. track — a path
  21. field — a subject
  22. clip — to cut
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cabinet — ministers

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