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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bark — to shout
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. clip — to cut
  6. field — a subject
  7. mine — for digging
  8. field — farmland
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. field — for sport
  13. clip — a video
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stock — goods

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