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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bear — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — child
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rest — a break
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. kick — in football
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pit — a hole
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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