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: kid · clip · kick · stand · leaves · roll · field · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. field — a subject
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. roll — a cake
  9. mug — a face
  10. clip — to cut
  11. kid — to tease
  12. clip — a video
  13. kid — child
  14. field — for sport
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stand — to bear
  19. roll — a list
  20. mug — to rob
  21. field — farmland
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. kick — in football

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