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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. board — to get on
  9. row — to paddle
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bark — to shout
  12. shower — rain
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. prune — to trim
  15. roll — a list
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. shower — to wash
  22. row — a line
  23. prune — to trim
  24. roll — on a roll

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