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 116 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: stand · kid · mug · key · cold · stem · clip · tear

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. key — in music
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mug — a cup
  6. clip — to cut
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. key — the most important part
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stand — to bear
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. clip — for paper

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