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

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bass — the fish
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. ball — a great time
  12. toast — bread
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. clip — to cut
  16. content — the amount
  17. bear — the animal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. race — the arms race
  22. content — happy
  23. bass — low music
  24. toast — the most admired

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