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: pitcher · cue · leaves · clip · cold · bulb · squash · charge

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. charge — a price
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — not warm
  15. squash — the sport
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. charge — in control
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bulb — for light
  20. charge — electricity
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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