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: mark · court · kick · branch · drill · cap · clip · pit

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. cap — of ice
  3. clip — a video
  4. mark — a grade
  5. branch — a division
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. court — of a king
  9. cap — a hat
  10. clip — to cut
  11. drill — army training
  12. clip — for paper
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. court — for sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mark — a trace
  21. court — of law
  22. drill — the tool
  23. kick — in football
  24. pit — in a race

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