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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pop — music
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. kid — child
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. last — final
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. content — the amount
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. last — to go on
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pop — soda
  17. last — finally
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. content — happy
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. content — videos and posts

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