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: chest · craft · rash · pound · wind · suit · charge · clip

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wind — moving air
  5. suit — clothes
  6. charge — electricity
  7. chest — of your body
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chest — of your body
  12. charge — a price
  13. craft — boats
  14. charge — in control
  15. suit — in cards
  16. rash — a series
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. suit — to fit
  24. chest — a box

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