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 120 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: kick · vault · clip · face · bark · last · present · leaves

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. clip — for paper
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. kick — in football
  8. last — final
  9. present — a gift
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. face — to confront
  12. last — to go on
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. present — there
  20. last — finally
  21. present — the time now
  22. bark — to shout
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. leaves — lets stay

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