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 · fine · clip · trunk · capital · face · kid · bowl

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. face — to confront
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. capital — money
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. capital — a city
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — all right
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. kick — in football
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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