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 · rush · board · clip · bat · craft · pound · squash

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. clip — to cut
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bat — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — for paper
  9. squash — the sport
  10. craft — a skill
  11. board — to get on
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. squash — to crush
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. board — a committee
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. can — a tin
  24. bat — in an idiom

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