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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cold — an illness
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bark — to shout
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mate — a friend
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lean — thin
  22. rush — hurry
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lean — to bend

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