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: perch · charge · bark · clip · board · bound · spell · rest

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. perch — the fish
  5. clip — a video
  6. bark — to shout
  7. board — a committee
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bound — certain
  15. spell — magic
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rest — a break
  19. charge — in control
  20. rest — what's left
  21. charge — a price
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bound — obliged
  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