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: clip · fine · stand · rule · sharp · chest · hand · calf

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. hand — help
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rule — a law
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. clip — to cut
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fine — all right
  14. rule — government
  15. hand — in cards
  16. clip — a video
  17. chest — a box
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — for paper

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