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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. file — a tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. file — a document
  24. hand — part of the body

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