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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bark — to shout
  12. roll — a list
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pound — a weight
  16. chest — a box
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. jam — in traffic

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