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 116 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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. can — a tin
  4. snap — to click
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bark — to shout
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. field — for sport
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. can — a tin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bark — of a tree

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