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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. sharp — clever
  7. tube — a container
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bark — to shout
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. chest — a box
  24. rule — to rule out

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