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: firm · root · mouse · race · bark · clip · last · key

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. firm — decided
  3. last — final
  4. firm — steady
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. firm — a company
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. race — humankind
  11. root — of a word
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. root — the cause
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. last — finally
  17. race — a contest
  18. last — to go on
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. race — the arms race
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. key — in music

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