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: present · bore · clip · root · racket · ball · tear · cabinet

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bore — to tire
  6. clip — a video
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. root — of a word
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. present — the time now
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. present — a gift
  18. bore — to drill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. present — there
  23. clip — to cut
  24. root — the cause

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