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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spring — the season
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bark — to shout
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mine — for digging
  15. swing — in golf
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. clip — for paper
  19. spring — a coil
  20. swing — music
  21. mark — a trace
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. clip — a video
  24. spring — of water

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