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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bass — the fish
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. squash — to crush
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. squash — the sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. clip — a video
  11. spring — the season
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. clip — for paper
  15. object — to protest
  16. chair — a leader
  17. object — an aim
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. clip — to cut
  20. object — a thing
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bass — low music
  24. chair — a professorship

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