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: firm · kid · sharp · chest · pop · ball · clip · jam

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pop — music
  5. clip — a video
  6. pop — soda
  7. clip — to cut
  8. chest — of your body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. clip — for paper
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. ball — a great time
  14. firm — a company
  15. ball — a dance
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chest — of your body
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. firm — decided
  20. chest — a box
  21. firm — steady
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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