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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. current — electric
  3. tear — from crying
  4. field — farmland
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. board — to get on
  7. face — part of the head
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — for sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. board — a committee
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. current — happening now
  16. swing — to play on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. field — a subject
  19. face — to confront
  20. swing — in golf
  21. saw — the tool
  22. current — of water
  23. swing — music
  24. face — to point toward

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