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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. season — in sport
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rest — a break
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wind — moving air
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rest — what's left
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cue — for pool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. root — of a word
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rest — what's left
  22. root — the cause
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. season — of the year

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