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: bowl · game · branch · chip · scale · trunk · clip · rush

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. clip — a video
  3. rush — hurry
  4. clip — to cut
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. game — a match
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. chip — to eat
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. branch — a division
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bowl — a football final

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