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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. last — final
  4. bark — to shout
  5. clip — a video
  6. bound — certain
  7. stock — goods
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kick — in football
  10. bound — tied together
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stock — shares
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mug — a cup
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bound — obliged
  22. last — finally
  23. mug — a face
  24. lie — to recline

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