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 · row · nail · rule · squash · current · hand

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hand — in cards
  4. clip — for paper
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. squash — the sport
  7. current — happening now
  8. hand — help
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. clip — a video
  11. row — a line
  12. row — to paddle
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. kid — to tease
  16. current — electric
  17. clip — to cut
  18. current — of water
  19. rule — a law
  20. squash — to crush
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rule — to rule out

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