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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. key — for a lock
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. file — a document
  12. key — in music
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. file — a tool
  15. toast — bread
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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