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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. clip — for paper
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. clip — a video
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. clip — to cut
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. face — to confront
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. kid — child
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — a trail

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