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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. firm — steady
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. firm — decided
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — to cut
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. clip — for paper
  15. deal — to handle
  16. firm — a company
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. march — the month
  22. clip — a video
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. march — the month

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