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: chip · clip · lean · fall · tear · content · row · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. tear — from crying
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chip — for betting
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chip — to eat
  16. content — the amount
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. row — to paddle
  20. clip — a video
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fall — the season
  23. row — a line
  24. lean — thin

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