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: wound · fine · stand · wind · sharp · clip · bark · pass

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fine — all right
  3. bark — to shout
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stand — to bear
  12. clip — a video
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fine — high quality
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pass — a permit
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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