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: ruler · staff · bulb · clip · kid · rash · cell · present

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. kid — child
  3. staff — employees
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — for paper
  6. present — a gift
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. staff — employees
  9. clip — a video
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — in biology
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. rash — a series
  24. ruler — a monarch

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