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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. kick — in football
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. band — a ring
  13. rash — a series
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stock — goods
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. band — a music group
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stock — shares

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