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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. object — to protest
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. object — an aim
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bark — to shout
  13. clip — to cut
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stock — goods
  17. sharp — clever
  18. object — a thing
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stock — shares
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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