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. The water is too ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. snap — to click
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. drill — the tool
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. season — of the year
  11. cold — an illness
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. deal — to handle
  17. season — in sport
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bark — to shout

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