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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. club — for dancing
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. tear — from crying
  13. last — final
  14. pound — a weight
  15. last — to go on
  16. club — for golf
  17. tear — to rip
  18. club — a group
  19. tear — from crying
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. last — finally
  24. pound — for dogs

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