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: tube · saw · court · clip · stem · kid · season · key

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. kid — child
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. key — in music
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. tube — a container
  8. key — the most important part
  9. clip — a video
  10. stem — to come from
  11. season — of the year
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. court — of a king
  15. key — for a lock
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — of law
  21. season — in sport
  22. kid — to tease
  23. court — for sport
  24. saw — the tool

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