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: kick · bear · clip · cap · stem · perch · rock · hand

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bear — the animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rock — music
  7. hand — help
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. clip — a video
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. kick — in football
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rock — a stone
  24. stem — a stem cell

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