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 · wake · rule · date · nail · bark · kick · plane

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. plane — a tool
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bark — to shout
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wake — a trail
  16. kick — in football
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rule — government
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. date — the fruit
  24. kick — a thrill

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