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 124 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. game — a match
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mate — a partner
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — to cut
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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