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: clip · tube · fork · charge · craft · spell · racket · straw

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. clip — for paper
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spell — magic
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spell — letters
  17. tube — a container
  18. charge — a price
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. clip — to cut
  21. spell — a short time
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. charge — in control
  24. fork — in a road

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