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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bark — to shout
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. land — a country
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. row — to paddle
  7. net — in sport
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — a tin
  10. kid — child
  11. can — to be able to
  12. chip — to eat
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. net — after costs
  15. land — to come down
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — a line
  20. kid — to tease
  21. net — for catching
  22. land — ground
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bark — of a tree

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