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 · race · band · hide · root · swing · net · bulb

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. root — of a word
  3. clip — a video
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. swing — to play on
  7. net — after costs
  8. clip — to cut
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. root — of a plant
  11. clip — for paper
  12. root — the cause
  13. race — a contest
  14. swing — in golf
  15. net — in sport
  16. race — humankind
  17. bulb — for light
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. swing — music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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