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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. board — a committee
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. clip — a video
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pit — in a race
  14. clip — for paper
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bark — to shout
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. row — a line
  20. kick — in football
  21. spell — letters
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. board — to get on
  24. spell — magic

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