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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. 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. patient — a sick person
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bark — to shout
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. spell — letters
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kick — in football
  11. spell — a short time
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spell — magic
  17. sharp — clever
  18. 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