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: hand · pop · bore · board · squash · clip · net · kid

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. hand — help
  4. bore — to tire
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bore — to drill
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. net — after costs
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. board — to get on
  11. net — in sport
  12. kid — child
  13. squash — the sport
  14. board — a committee
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pop — music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. net — for catching
  20. clip — a video
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kid — to tease
  23. clip — to cut
  24. squash — to crush

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