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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bore — to tire
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mine — for digging
  24. squash — the sport

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