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

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. current — of water
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mug — a cup
  11. sharp — clever
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. current — electric
  16. bass — low music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mug — a face
  21. current — happening now
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mug — to rob

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