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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lean — to bend
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. spell — letters
  5. march — the month
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — to shout
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. perch — the fish
  14. lean — thin
  15. net — after costs
  16. spell — magic
  17. net — in sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. march — music
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. kick — in football
  24. net — for catching

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