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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rash — hasty
  3. shower — rain
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rule — a law
  6. bark — to shout
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rule — government
  11. hand — help
  12. swing — music
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rash — a series
  20. swing — in golf
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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