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: kick · date · rash · clip · ground · chip · branch · stock

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. clip — to cut
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kick — in football
  6. stock — goods
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. ground — the earth
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rash — a series
  11. ground — crushed
  12. clip — a video
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ground — a position
  17. branch — a division
  18. stock — shares
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. chip — for betting
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rash — hasty
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rash — on the skin

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