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: bowl · leaves · ruler · clip · mine · bark · track · toast

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. track — a song
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bark — to shout
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — a video
  22. track — a path
  23. toast — bread
  24. clip — for paper

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