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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. clip — a video
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. clip — to cut
  11. can — to be able to
  12. file — a tool
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spring — the season
  17. file — a document
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. spring — of water
  21. bark — to shout
  22. can — a tin
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. deal — to handle

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