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: can · clip · coach · mate · kick · nail · last · degree

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. clip — for paper
  4. kick — in football
  5. can — a tin
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — a partner
  8. last — finally
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mate — to breed
  12. degree — from a university
  13. can — to be able to
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. clip — to cut
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. can — a tin
  22. mate — a friend
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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