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: lie · clip · bark · press · track · charge · straw · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rule — a law
  5. bark — to shout
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. press — a publisher
  8. charge — electricity
  9. clip — a video
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — a path
  14. press — to push
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. track — a song
  19. charge — a price
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. track — to keep track
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. press — newspapers
  24. charge — in control

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