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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. march — the month
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rash — a series
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bass — low music
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bark — to shout
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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