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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. ground — a position
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. clip — to cut
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bear — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bark — to shout

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