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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. present — there
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. clip — to cut
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ball — a great time
  9. dip — to sink
  10. present — the time now
  11. land — ground
  12. present — a gift
  13. clip — for paper
  14. land — a country
  15. scale — in music
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bark — to shout
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. clip — a video
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. degree — an amount
  23. land — to come down
  24. degree — from a university

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