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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. shower — to wash
  5. spring — a coil
  6. shower — rain
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. can — a tin
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bark — to shout
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. can — a tin
  24. mouse — the animal

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