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 116 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: pit · kid · suit · clip · wind · ground · cap · trunk

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — to fit
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pit — in a race
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wind — moving air
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cap — a hat

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