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: tear · row · kick · ball · clip · club · file · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. row — a line
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. file — a line of people
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. club — a group
  11. file — a tool
  12. club — for golf
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. ball — a great time
  16. row — to paddle
  17. clip — a video
  18. club — for dancing
  19. ball — a dance
  20. tear — from crying
  21. file — a document
  22. clip — to cut
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. clip — for paper

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