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: toast · clip · trunk · rest · field · chip · cap · pop

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rest — what's left
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cap — of ice
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. chip — to eat
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. toast — bread
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pop — music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cap — a hat
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rest — a break
  21. pop — soda
  22. field — for sport
  23. pop — to visit
  24. clip — a video

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