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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. present — there
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. land — to come down
  5. kid — child
  6. net — after costs
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. present — the time now
  14. land — ground
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. net — in sport
  19. land — a country
  20. net — for catching
  21. bat — the animal
  22. present — a gift
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bat — in an idiom

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