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: deal · pitcher · pit · sharp · tube · arm · clip · root

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pit — in a race
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pit — a hole
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — to cut
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. clip — a video
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. root — the cause
  18. tube — a container
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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