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: kid · racket · saw · cue · cap · squash · court · clip

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. clip — a video
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cap — a lid
  6. kid — child
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cue — a hint
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cue — a signal
  11. squash — to crush
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — of a king
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. clip — to cut
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cue — for pool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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