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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. spell — a short time
  5. land — a country
  6. spell — letters
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mug — a cup
  14. spell — magic
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pass — a permit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mug — a face
  24. bark — to shout

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