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: march · file · clip · patient · bass · bark · chest · suit

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. march — music
  6. suit — clothes
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. march — the month
  10. chest — of your body
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bass — the fish
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. chest — a box
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. suit — to fit
  19. file — a tool
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. march — the month
  24. bark — to shout

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