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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. field — farmland
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. drill — the tool
  6. swing — in golf
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. swing — music
  12. field — a subject
  13. bark — to shout
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. field — for sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — the fish
  22. drill — army training
  23. swing — to play on
  24. staff — employees

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