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: clip · bowl · ruler · bass · kid · bark · key · face

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bass — low music
  3. face — to confront
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. clip — a video
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bass — the fish
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bark — to shout
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. kid — child
  13. key — in music
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. clip — for paper
  17. kid — to tease
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. clip — to cut
  20. key — the most important part
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. key — for a lock

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