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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. clip — a video
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stock — goods
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bark — to shout
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rest — a break
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pitch — completely
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. snap — to click
  23. stock — shares
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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