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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. capital — money
  4. track — a song
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. roll — a cake
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. saw — the tool
  11. roll — a list
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. track — a path
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. drill — the tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bark — to shout
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. capital — a city
  24. saw — the tool

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