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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. field — farmland
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. field — a subject
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — for sport
  13. bark — to shout
  14. hand — in cards
  15. object — to protest
  16. hand — help
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — a city
  19. object — an aim
  20. ground — the earth
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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