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 120 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: straw · mark · present · clip · kid · fall · mouse · mate

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. clip — for paper
  3. present — a gift
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mark — a trace
  8. kid — to tease
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. present — the time now
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. clip — a video
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. present — there
  18. mate — to breed
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. kid — child
  23. mate — a partner
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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