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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bound — certain
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. file — a document
  11. wax — to grow
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. drill — the tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. file — a tool
  17. cue — for pool
  18. drill — army training
  19. clip — a video
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bark — to shout

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