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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pop — soda
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. spring — the season
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spring — of water
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pop — music
  22. bore — to drill
  23. chair — a professorship
  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