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: sharp · cell · clip · race · wound · kid · rash · current

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. clip — to cut
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cell — in biology
  5. kid — child
  6. current — of water
  7. kid — to tease
  8. current — happening now
  9. clip — a video
  10. wound — an injury
  11. race — humankind
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rash — hasty
  14. race — the arms race
  15. clip — for paper
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. current — electric
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. race — a contest
  24. wound — an injury

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