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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. land — a country
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. chair — a leader
  7. land — to come down
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bark — to shout
  10. deal — to handle
  11. land — ground
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mark — a grade
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. spring — a coil
  17. deal — a big deal
  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