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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. land — to come down
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. clip — a video
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. ball — a dance
  13. clip — to cut
  14. land — a country
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. ball — a great time
  18. land — ground
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. ball — a round shape

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