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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wound — an injury
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bound — tied together
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. toast — bread
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chip — for betting
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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