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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. clip — a video
  3. staff — employees
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. staff — a stick
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. scale — size or range
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — ground
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. scale — in music
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. land — a country
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bark — to shout
  23. clip — to cut
  24. land — to come down

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