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 120 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: game · deal · prune · clip · track · mate · bore · can

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. can — a tin
  3. game — wild animals
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mate — a friend
  6. can — to be able to
  7. mate — to breed
  8. track — a path
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. clip — a video
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. can — a tin
  16. mate — a partner
  17. track — a song
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. game — a match
  22. track — to keep track
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. clip — for paper

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