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 116 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: bark · suit · clip · object · straw · field · tear · pop

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. field — a subject
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. field — farmland
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pop — soda
  13. clip — a video
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. suit — clothes
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bark — to shout
  18. field — for sport
  19. suit — in cards
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. object — a thing
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. suit — to fit

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