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: bark · rock · clip · wound · roll · last · vault · snap

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — a list
  4. clip — for paper
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — a safe
  8. last — to go on
  9. snap — to click
  10. roll — a cake
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. clip — a video
  16. last — final
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bark — to shout
  19. last — finally
  20. rock — music
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bark — of a tree
  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