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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. clip — a video
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. tear — from crying
  6. can — to be able to
  7. row — a line
  8. clip — to cut
  9. can — a tin
  10. face — part of the head
  11. can — a tin
  12. ball — a great time
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. tear — from crying
  15. face — to point toward
  16. clip — for paper
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pop — to visit
  19. face — to confront
  20. ball — a dance
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. trunk — of a car

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