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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wax — to grow
  7. present — there
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bark — to shout
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. plane — a tool
  21. present — the time now
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — a cup

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