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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. net — for catching
  3. bark — to shout
  4. clip — to cut
  5. suit — to fit
  6. toast — bread
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. suit — in cards
  10. clip — a video
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fine — high quality
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. net — in sport
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fine — all right
  19. net — after costs
  20. bat — the animal
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bark — of a tree

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