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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. chest — a box
  4. dip — to sink
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. court — of a king
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chest — of your body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mug — a face
  14. court — for sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. court — of law
  24. lash — an eyelash

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