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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bark — to shout
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. row — a line
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. hand — in cards
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. spell — letters
  16. row — to paddle
  17. deal — to handle
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spell — magic
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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