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 116 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: hide · mark · bear · land · rest · kid · clip · sharp

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kid — child
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. clip — a video
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mark — a grade
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rest — what's left
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rest — a break
  19. land — to come down
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. clip — to cut
  22. land — a country
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mark — to pay attention

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