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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. game — wild animals
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — employees
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. present — there
  14. staff — employees
  15. bark — to shout
  16. present — the time now
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. staff — a stick
  24. game — a match

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