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 120 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: bat · bark · chip · stand · board · clip · kick · stock

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. clip — to cut
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stock — shares
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. board — to get on
  9. bark — to shout
  10. chip — for betting
  11. kick — in football
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stand — to bear
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stock — goods
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. board — a committee
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stock — a soup base

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