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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bore — to drill
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. rule — government
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bore — to tire
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bat — the animal
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rule — a law

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