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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. kid — child
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. kid — to tease
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bass — the fish
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bass — low music
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rush — hurry
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. hand — help
  24. straw — a straw man

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