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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. snap — to click
  3. bound — tied together
  4. chest — of your body
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bound — certain
  7. hand — help
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. band — a music group
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. toast — bread
  17. bound — obliged
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bark — to shout
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. band — a ring
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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