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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. shower — rain
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — music
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. can — to be able to
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. march — the month
  21. bulb — for light
  22. hand — help
  23. march — the month
  24. bark — to shout

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