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: chip · stock · land · clip · wound · mouse · bound · branch

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stock — shares
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. clip — for paper
  7. land — to come down
  8. branch — a division
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stock — goods
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — ground
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. land — a country
  22. chip — to eat
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wound — an injury

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