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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. game — a match
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. sharp — clever
  9. tube — a container
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. roll — a list
  20. game — wild animals
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. tube — the underground
  24. hide — to keep secret

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