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: craft · chest · object · clip · leaves · charge · net · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. craft — a skill
  3. net — after costs
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chest — of your body
  6. object — to protest
  7. charge — a price
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chest — a box
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. object — a thing
  12. charge — electricity
  13. net — in sport
  14. chest — of your body
  15. charge — in control
  16. clip — a video
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. net — for catching
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. craft — boats
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. clip — to cut
  24. object — an aim

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