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 water is too ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. firm — a company
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rash — a series
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. firm — steady
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wound — an injury
  24. firm — decided

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