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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. lean — thin
  3. kid — child
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. march — music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bat — the animal
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fall — the season

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