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

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. last — to go on
  4. bound — certain
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spring — of water
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. last — final
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. can — a tin
  20. last — finally
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. spring — the season
  23. can — a tin
  24. coach — a trainer

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