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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bark — to shout
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — to grow
  9. row — a line
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. march — music
  17. row — to paddle
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. march — the month
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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