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: charge · kick · temple · content · snap · rock · clip · file

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. rock — a stone
  6. charge — a price
  7. file — a document
  8. kick — in football
  9. charge — electricity
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rock — music
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. charge — in control
  14. content — the amount
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. file — a tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. snap — to click
  20. content — happy
  21. clip — a video
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. file — a line of people

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