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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bore — to tire
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. straw — dry grass

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