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 116 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: rest · lie · clip · court · kid · cap · club · calf

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. clip — for paper
  3. kid — to tease
  4. court — of a king
  5. kid — child
  6. club — for golf
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. clip — to cut
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. club — a group
  13. court — for sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rest — a break
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lie — to recline
  19. clip — a video
  20. club — for dancing
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cap — of ice

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