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: game · foot · safe · kid · roll · stick · clip · prune

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. game — a match
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kid — to tease
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kid — child
  8. clip — for paper
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. prune — to trim
  11. roll — a list
  12. foot — a measure
  13. clip — to cut
  14. game — wild animals
  15. clip — a video
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. prune — to trim
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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