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: hide · bark · clip · sharp · jam · cabinet · wind · pitch

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. wind — moving air
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. clip — a video
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hide — to keep secret

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