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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. last — to go on
  5. race — humankind
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. board — a committee
  11. race — the arms race
  12. last — finally
  13. race — a contest
  14. ball — a great time
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. last — final
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ball — a dance
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. board — to get on
  24. ball — a round shape

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