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: squash · bark · wound · arm · mark · can · swing · clip

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wound — an injury
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. squash — to crush
  14. can — a tin
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bark — to shout
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bark — of a tree

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