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: snap · hand · calf · clip · dip · content · file · cabinet

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. snap — to click
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. clip — for paper
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. clip — to cut
  9. hand — help
  10. clip — a video
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. content — happy
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. file — a tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. file — a line of people
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. file — a document
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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