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: land · straw · date · kick · kid · rock · clip · bowl

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rock — music
  10. kid — child
  11. land — to come down
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rock — a stone
  14. land — ground
  15. clip — for paper
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. clip — a video
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bowl — a dish

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