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 120 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. kid — child
  5. chest — a box
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. current — happening now
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bank — for money
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bank — for money
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. current — electric
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — of water
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kid — to tease

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