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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cue — a hint
  4. clip — a video
  5. content — the amount
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. clip — for paper
  8. content — happy
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — for pool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cue — a signal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. content — videos and posts

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