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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ground — a position
  3. degree — from a university
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bark — to shout
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mug — to rob
  17. spring — the season
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ground — the earth
  20. hand — help
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. hand — in cards

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