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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · clip · bark · snap · tear · straw · patient · jam

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bark — to shout
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rule — a law
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rule — government
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. clip — to cut
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. clip — a video
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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