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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. swing — in golf
  4. prune — to trim
  5. object — to protest
  6. rock — a stone
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. clip — to cut
  9. court — of a king
  10. rock — music
  11. bound — certain
  12. prune — to trim
  13. clip — a video
  14. swing — music
  15. bark — to shout
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bound — obliged
  18. object — a thing
  19. court — of law
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bound — tied together
  22. court — for sport
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. object — an aim

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