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 120 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: chest · bark · deal · craft · clip · dip · firm · field

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chest — of your body
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — a company
  7. craft — a skill
  8. field — a subject
  9. dip — to sink
  10. firm — steady
  11. field — for sport
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. deal — to handle
  15. clip — a video
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — to shout
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. field — farmland
  23. craft — boats
  24. chest — a box

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